QuakeScout
Magnitude5.7

Reviewed by USGSJapan89y ago

M5.7 earthquake 95 km ESE of Takahagi, Japan

Wednesday, July 6, 1938, 13:01:03 UTC · 36.375°N, 141.693°E

A magnitude 5.7 earthquake struck 95 km ESE of Takahagi, Japan on Wednesday, July 6, 1938, 13:01:03 UTC, at a depth of 25.0 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M7.7 on May 23, 1938.

Magnitude
5.7
Moderate · mw
Depth
25 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 earthquake

In context

How big was it, and why here?

Energy released

6 kilotons of TNT

That is about 1/3 of the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 12 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.

Tectonic setting

91 km

from the nearest mapped plate boundary, between the Pacific and Okhotsk plates. Earthquakes cluster along boundaries like this one, where plates collide, pull apart or slide past each other.

Depth: shallow

25 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 has not published any M2.5+ earthquake within 75 km in the 30 days after this event.

Regional history

Past M5+ earthquakes within 300 km

USGS lists 147 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:

  1. 8.05 km SSE of Ōiso, JapanSeptember 1, 1923 · 245 km SW of this epicenter
  2. 7.85 km E of Tateyama, JapanSeptember 2, 1923 · 222 km SW of this epicenter
  3. 7.769 km ESE of Kitaibaraki, JapanMay 23, 1938 · 27 km NW of this epicenter
  4. 7.6119 km SE of Kamaishi, JapanNovember 1, 1915 · 279 km NE of this epicenter
  5. 7.3190 km SE of Hasaki, JapanSeptember 7, 1906 · 197 km SE of this epicenter
  6. 7.3110 km ESE of Ishinomaki, JapanJune 18, 1933 · 202 km N of this epicenter
  7. 7.383 km E of Ishinomaki, JapanNovember 2, 1936 · 217 km N of this epicenter
  8. 7.264 km ENE of Hasaki, JapanJune 1, 1923 · 52 km S of this epicenter

History · NOAA

Deadliest earthquakes in this area

NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 41 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 119,268 recorded deaths. The most severe:

  1. 1923M7.9

    Tokyo, Yokohama

    1 Sep 1923 · 243 km away

    105,385 deaths$600 million damagetsunami

  2. 1855M7.0

    Tokyo

    11 Nov 1855 · 188 km away

    6,757 deathsExtreme damage ($25M+)tsunami

  3. 1703M8.2

    Off Sw Boso Peninsula

    30 Dec 1703 · 216 km away

    5,233 deathsExtreme damage ($25M+)tsunami

  4. 1828

    Sandyo In Etigo

    18 Dec 1828 · 232 km away

    1,443 deathsExtreme damage ($25M+)tsunami

  5. 1930M7.1

    Honshu: Idu

    25 Nov 1930 · 287 km away

    259 deathsExtreme damage ($25M+)

  6. 1853

    Odawara

    11 Mar 1853 · 220 km away

    79 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)

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

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