Reviewed by USGSJapan5d ago
M5.0 earthquake 38 km E of Nobeoka, Japan
Monday, September 21, 2026, 13:38:32 UTC · 32.598°N, 132.081°E
A magnitude 5.0 earthquake struck 38 km E of Nobeoka, Japan on Monday, September 21, 2026, 13:38:32 UTC, at a depth of 42.7 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M5.3 on August 1, 2026.
- Magnitude
- 5.0
- Moderate · mb
- Depth
- 43 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
477 tons of TNT
That is about 1/32 of the Hiroshima bomb. Each whole step in magnitude is about 32 times more energy.
Tectonic setting
99 km
from the nearest mapped plate boundary, between the Amur and Okinawa plates. Earthquakes cluster along boundaries like this one, where plates collide, pull apart or slide past each other.
Depth: shallow
43 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 since this event.
Regional history
Past M5+ earthquakes within 300 km
USGS lists 345 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 8.01941 Hyuganada EarthquakeNovember 18, 1941 · 54 km S of this epicenter
- 7.958 km ESE of Takanabe, JapanNovember 2, 1931 · 79 km S of this epicenter
- 7.518 km NNE of Nichinan, JapanFebruary 26, 1961 · 111 km SW of this epicenter
- 7.518 km SE of Honmachi, JapanNovember 10, 1909 · 126 km W of this epicenter
- 7.560 km ESE of Nobeoka, JapanApril 1, 1968 · 24 km SE of this epicenter
- 7.422 km N of Nishinoomote, JapanJuly 13, 1923 · 210 km SW of this epicenter
- 7.229 km ESE of Takanabe, JapanApril 13, 1913 · 68 km SW of this epicenter
- 7.12024 Hyuganada Sea, Japan EarthquakeAugust 8, 2024 · 108 km SW of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 46 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 25,301 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1792M6.4
Kyusyu Island
21 May 1792 · 168 km away
15,030 deathsExtreme damage ($25M+)tsunami
- 1707M8.4
Nankaido
28 Oct 1707 · 263 km away
5,000 deathsExtreme damage ($25M+)tsunami
- 1854M8.4
Nankaido
24 Dec 1854 · 278 km away
3,000 deathsExtreme damage ($25M+)tsunami
- 1711M6.7
Seionaikai, Japan
20 Dec 1711 · 260 km away
1,000 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1872M7.4
Honshu: Sw
14 Mar 1872 · 256 km away
804 deathsExtreme damage ($25M+)tsunami
- 2016M7.0
Kumamoto, Oita
15 Apr 2016 · 126 km away · intensity IX
273 deaths$20 billion damage
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.