Reviewed by USGSJapan99y ago
M6.8 earthquake 117 km E of Yamada, Japan
Friday, June 1, 1928, 13:12:20 UTC · 39.437°N, 143.317°E
A magnitude 6.8 earthquake struck 117 km E of Yamada, Japan on Friday, June 1, 1928, 13:12:20 UTC, at a depth of 20.0 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M7.3 on May 27, 1928.
- Magnitude
- 6.8
- Strong · mw
- Depth
- 20 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: 100 km aftershock search area
In context
How big was it, and why here?
Energy released
201 kilotons of TNT
That is about 13 times the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 422 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
76 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
20 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 lists 3 M2.5+ earthquakes within 100 km in the following 30 days; the largest was M6.0 on June 1, 1928. 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 64 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 7.7277 km SSE of Kushiro, JapanMay 3, 1919 · 239 km NE of this epicenter
- 7.7217 km ESE of Kamaishi, JapanJuly 6, 1905 · 133 km SE of this epicenter
- 7.6119 km SE of Kamaishi, JapanNovember 1, 1915 · 91 km S of this epicenter
- 7.5Near the east coast of Honshu, JapanAugust 9, 1901 · 156 km NW of this epicenter
- 7.379 km ENE of Miyako, JapanMay 27, 1928 · 65 km NW of this epicenter
- 7.2Near the east coast of Honshu, JapanAugust 9, 1901 · 137 km NW of this epicenter
- 7.1123 km SE of Honchō, JapanJuly 29, 1917 · 200 km N of this epicenter
- 7.013 km ESE of Yokote, JapanMarch 14, 1914 · 226 km W of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 33 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 30,383 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1896M8.3
Sanriku
15 Jun 1896 · 59 km away
27,122 deathsExtreme damage ($25M+)tsunami
- 1766M6.9
Hirosaki
8 Mar 1766 · 275 km away
1,700 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1793M8.3
Sanriku,Rikuzen,Rikuchu
17 Feb 1793 · 120 km away
745 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1804M7.3
Kisakata
10 Jul 1804 · 293 km away
450 deathsExtreme damage ($25M+)tsunami
- 1896
Senhoku, Ugo
31 Aug 1896 · 208 km away
206 deathsExtreme damage ($25M+)
- 1810M6.6
Oga
25 Sep 1810 · 297 km away
59 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.