Reviewed by USGSJapan75y ago
M5.9 earthquake 70 km SSE of Nemuro, Japan
Friday, March 7, 1952, 19:44:01 UTC · 42.749°N, 145.945°E
A magnitude 5.9 earthquake struck 70 km SSE of Nemuro, Japan on Friday, March 7, 1952, 19:44:01 UTC, at a depth of 37.6 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M6.0 on March 7, 1952.
- Magnitude
- 5.9
- Moderate · mw
- Depth
- 38 km
- Shallow
- Felt reports
- 0
- Did You Feel It?
- Est. shaking
- —
- No ShakeMap
- PAGER alert
- None
- Not issued
- Tsunami
- No flag
- USGS feed
Outlined circle: this earthquakeDashed circle: 75 km aftershock search area
In context
How big was it, and why here?
Energy released
12 kilotons of TNT
That is about the energy of the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 25 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
71 km
from the nearest mapped plate boundary, between the Okhotsk and Pacific plates. Earthquakes cluster along boundaries like this one, where plates collide, pull apart or slide past each other.
Depth: shallow
38 km
Shallow earthquakes (under 70 km) produce the strongest surface shaking for their size, so they are the ones most likely to cause damage near the epicenter.
Did You Feel It?
Where it was felt
No “Did You Feel It?” reports have been published for this event yet. If you felt it, you can add your report on the USGS website.
I felt it — report to USGS ↗USGS PAGER estimate
Who was exposed to shaking
USGS publishes PAGER impact estimates for significant earthquakes, usually within an hour. No PAGER estimate is available for this event.
After the main event
Aftershocks within 75 km
USGS lists 2 M2.5+ earthquakes within 75 km in the following 30 days; the largest was M6.1 on March 14, 1952. Most nearby activity right after a large earthquake is aftershocks, which usually become less frequent over days and weeks.
Regional history
Past M5+ earthquakes within 300 km
USGS lists 131 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 8.11952 Tokachi-Oki EarthquakeMarch 4, 1952 · 184 km SW of this epicenter
- 7.7277 km SSE of Kushiro, JapanMay 3, 1919 · 234 km S of this epicenter
- 7.542 km SSW of Shikotan, RussiaSeptember 11, 1935 · 93 km NE of this epicenter
- 7.3169 km ENE of Hachinohe, JapanJune 13, 1943 · 287 km SW of this epicenter
- 7.2134 km E of Shikotan, RussiaDecember 21, 1946 · 221 km NE of this epicenter
- 7.1123 km SE of Honchō, JapanJuly 29, 1917 · 250 km SW of this epicenter
- 7.1Off the coast of Hokkaido, JapanDecember 25, 1900 · 28 km N of this epicenter
- 7.1142 km E of Shikotan, RussiaApril 14, 1947 · 243 km NE of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 18 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 80 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1843M8.4
Hokkaido: Yezo, Kushiro, Nemuro
25 Apr 1843 · 83 km away
45 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 1952M8.1
Hokkaido
4 Mar 1952 · 184 km away · intensity IX
33 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1894M7.9
Off Coast Of Honshu
22 Mar 1894 · 28 km away · intensity IX
1 deathModerate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 1938M6.1
E. Hokkaido Island, Japan
28 May 1938 · 164 km away
1 deathLimited damage (under $1M)tsunami
- 1904M7.6
Hokkaido
18 Mar 1904 · 30 km away · intensity X
Limited damage (under $1M)
- 1839M7.3
Se. Hokkaido Island, Japan
1 May 1839 · 82 km away
Limited damage (under $1M)tsunami
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.