Reviewed by USGSJapan104y ago
M7.2 earthquake 64 km ENE of Hasaki, Japan
Friday, June 1, 1923, 17:24:46 UTC · 35.936°N, 141.501°E
A magnitude 7.2 earthquake struck 64 km ENE of Hasaki, Japan on Friday, June 1, 1923, 17:24:46 UTC, at a depth of 15.0 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M7.3 on September 7, 1906.
- Magnitude
- 7.2
- Major · mw
- Depth
- 15 km
- Shallow
- Felt reports
- 0
- Did You Feel It?
- Est. shaking
- VI
- Strong (ShakeMap)
- PAGER alert
- None
- Not issued
- Tsunami
- No flag
- USGS feed
Outlined circle: this earthquakeDashed circle: 200 km aftershock search areaColoured lines: estimated shaking intensity (USGS ShakeMap)
In context
How big was it, and why here?
Energy released
1.0 megatons of TNT
That is about 68 times the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 2,138 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
88 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
15 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 200 km
USGS lists 2 M2.5+ earthquakes within 200 km in the following 30 days; the largest was M6.7 on June 1, 1923. 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 27 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 7.3190 km SE of Hasaki, JapanSeptember 7, 1906 · 163 km SE of this epicenter
- 7.238 km SSW of Shimoda, JapanOctober 24, 1905 · 300 km SW of this epicenter
- 7.1150 km ESE of Hasaki, JapanMarch 13, 1909 · 109 km SE of this epicenter
- 7.082 km ENE of Hasaki, JapanMarch 12, 1909 · 20 km E of this epicenter
- 7.0208 km SE of Katsuura, JapanApril 21, 1916 · 250 km S of this epicenter
- 6.870 km E of Namie, JapanJanuary 15, 1908 · 185 km N of this epicenter
- 6.7136 km SSE of Katsuura, JapanSeptember 15, 1916 · 225 km S of this epicenter
- 6.630 km E of Ishinomaki, JapanMarch 8, 1915 · 275 km N of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 23 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 118,978 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1923M7.9
Tokyo, Yokohama
1 Sep 1923 · 204 km away
105,385 deaths$600 million damagetsunami
- 1855M7.0
Tokyo
11 Nov 1855 · 157 km away
6,757 deathsExtreme damage ($25M+)tsunami
- 1703M8.2
Off Sw Boso Peninsula
30 Dec 1703 · 171 km away
5,233 deathsExtreme damage ($25M+)tsunami
- 1828
Sandyo In Etigo
18 Dec 1828 · 249 km away
1,443 deathsExtreme damage ($25M+)tsunami
- 1853
Odawara
11 Mar 1853 · 187 km away
79 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)
- 1905M7.0
Off Fukushima
6 Jul 1905 · 190 km away
57 deathstsunami
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.