Reviewed by USGSJapan112y ago
M7.6 earthquake 119 km SE of Kamaishi, Japan
Monday, November 1, 1915, 07:23:53 UTC · 38.660°N, 143.004°E
A magnitude 7.6 earthquake struck 119 km SE of Kamaishi, Japan on Monday, November 1, 1915, 07:23:53 UTC, at a depth of 30.0 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M7.7 on July 6, 1905.
- Magnitude
- 7.6
- Major · mw
- Depth
- 30 km
- Shallow
- Felt reports
- 0
- Did You Feel It?
- Est. shaking
- IV
- Light (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
3.8 megatons of TNT
That is about 252 times the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 7,943 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
89 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
30 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 3 M2.5+ earthquakes within 200 km in the following 30 days; the largest was M6.8 on November 1, 1915. 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 18 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 7.7217 km ESE of Kamaishi, JapanJuly 6, 1905 · 101 km E of this epicenter
- 7.5Near the east coast of Honshu, JapanAugust 9, 1901 · 224 km N of this epicenter
- 7.2Near the east coast of Honshu, JapanAugust 9, 1901 · 209 km N of this epicenter
- 7.013 km ESE of Yokote, JapanMarch 14, 1914 · 211 km W of this epicenter
- 7.0Near the east coast of Honshu, JapanJune 15, 1901 · 38 km N of this epicenter
- 7.0Northern Honshu, JapanMay 11, 1900 · 165 km W of this epicenter
- 7.0Off the east coast of Honshu, JapanMay 2, 1902 · 94 km NE of this epicenter
- 7.0114 km E of Miyako, JapanOctober 11, 1913 · 135 km N of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 32 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 29,444 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1896M8.3
Sanriku
15 Jun 1896 · 127 km away
27,122 deathsExtreme damage ($25M+)tsunami
- 1793M8.3
Sanriku,Rikuzen,Rikuchu
17 Feb 1793 · 88 km away
745 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1894M7.0
Syonai
22 Oct 1894 · 279 km away
726 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1804M7.3
Kisakata
10 Jul 1804 · 268 km away
450 deathsExtreme damage ($25M+)tsunami
- 1896
Senhoku, Ugo
31 Aug 1896 · 228 km away
206 deathsExtreme damage ($25M+)
- 1914M7.2
Senhoku
15 Mar 1914 · 284 km away
94 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.