QuakeScout
Magnitude6.1

Reviewed by USGSJapan75y ago

M6.1 earthquake 60 km S of Nemuro, Japan

Friday, March 14, 1952, 20:55:23 UTC · 42.779°N, 145.583°E

A magnitude 6.1 earthquake struck 60 km S of Nemuro, Japan on Friday, March 14, 1952, 20:55:23 UTC, at a depth of 40.9 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M6.9 on March 9, 1952.

Magnitude
6.1
Strong · mw
Depth
41 km
Shallow
Felt reports
0
Did You Feel It?
Est. shaking
V
Moderate (ShakeMap)
PAGER alert
None
Not issued
Tsunami
No flag
USGS feed

Outlined circle: this earthquakeColoured lines: estimated shaking intensity (USGS ShakeMap)

In context

How big was it, and why here?

Energy released

21 kilotons of TNT

That is about the energy of the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 43 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.

Tectonic setting

92 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

41 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 100 km

USGS has not published any M2.5+ earthquake within 100 km in the 30 days after this event.

Regional history

Past M5+ earthquakes within 300 km

USGS lists 144 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:

  1. 8.11952 Tokachi-Oki EarthquakeMarch 4, 1952 · 158 km SW of this epicenter
  2. 7.7277 km SSE of Kushiro, JapanMay 3, 1919 · 236 km S of this epicenter
  3. 7.542 km SSW of Shikotan, RussiaSeptember 11, 1935 · 110 km NE of this epicenter
  4. 7.3169 km ENE of Hachinohe, JapanJune 13, 1943 · 268 km SW of this epicenter
  5. 7.2134 km E of Shikotan, RussiaDecember 21, 1946 · 247 km NE of this epicenter
  6. 7.1123 km SE of Honchō, JapanJuly 29, 1917 · 231 km SW of this epicenter
  7. 7.1Off the coast of Hokkaido, JapanDecember 25, 1900 · 42 km NE of this epicenter
  8. 7.1142 km E of Shikotan, RussiaApril 14, 1947 · 266 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:

  1. 1843M8.4

    Hokkaido: Yezo, Kushiro, Nemuro

    25 Apr 1843 · 93 km away

    45 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)tsunami

  2. 1952M8.1

    Hokkaido

    4 Mar 1952 · 158 km away · intensity IX

    33 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami

  3. 1894M7.9

    Off Coast Of Honshu

    22 Mar 1894 · 46 km away · intensity IX

    1 deathModerate damage ($1–5M)tsunami

  4. 1938M6.1

    E. Hokkaido Island, Japan

    28 May 1938 · 138 km away

    1 deathLimited damage (under $1M)tsunami

  5. 1952M7.1

    Hokkaido

    9 Mar 1952 · 281 km away

    Moderate damage ($1–5M)tsunami

  6. 1904M7.6

    Hokkaido

    18 Mar 1904 · 36 km away · intensity X

    Limited damage (under $1M)

NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.

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