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M5.5 Earthquake near Off east coast of Honshu, Japan [Sea: Japan]

UTC time: 2025-12-08 18:56:29 UTC Local time: —
Earthquake newsQuakeMap24
Archive record · original publication time was not recorded

Automatically generated from measurement data by QuakeMap24. Values may change after further analysis.

Magnitude
M5.5
Depth
30.9 km
Source
INGV

Off east coast of Honshu, Japan [Sea: Japan]

Map

M5.5 Earthquake near Off east coast of Honshu, Japan [Sea: Japan] · 2025-12-08 — Map showing the location of the epicenter
M5.5 Earthquake near Off east coast of Honshu, Japan [Sea: Japan] · 2025-12-08 — Map showing the location of the epicenter

About this earthquake

On December 8, 2025 at 18:56 UTC, a magnitude M5.5 earthquake occurred near Off east coast of Honshu, Japan [Sea: Japan]. With a focal depth of about 31 km, this was a shallow earthquake, whose shaking is usually felt more strongly at the surface. Events of this size can cause damage near the epicenter.

The data is provided by INGV and cross-checked across seismological networks.

Details

ID
0b06a3e17ba3b79139d96c45d064d1b2e4793df0
Magnitude
M5.5
Depth
30.9 km
UTC time
2025-12-08 18:56:29 UTC
Local time
—
Country
—
Source
ingv
Coordinates
40.91840, 143.36400
Temperature
5.3°C

Depth profile

Depth profile Depth: 30.9 km (Shallow) Surface Shallow Intermediate Deep 0 km 70 km 300 km 700 km 30.9 km
Shallow
30.9 km
Why depth matters

Shallow quakes release energy near the surface — shaking is felt more strongly and damage potential is higher.

Depth classes per USGS

Nearby population centers

Distances are straight-line distances from the epicenter. Population data: GeoNames.

PlaceDistanceDirectionPopulation
Kuji157.4 kmSW34'418
Hachinohe163.9 kmW239'046
Sapporo291.1 kmNW1'973'832

GeoNames · CC BY 4.0

Volcanoes nearby

  • Osorezan
    Distance: 192 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: 878 m ·Last eruption: 1787 ·Japan
  • Esan
    Distance: 208 km ·Lava dome(s) ·Elevation: 617 m ·Last eruption: 1874 ·Japan
  • Hakkodasan
    Distance: 211 km ·Stratovolcano(es) ·Elevation: 1'584 m ·Last eruption: 1550 ·Japan
  • Towada
    Distance: 214 km ·Caldera ·Elevation: 1'011 m ·Last eruption: 915 ·Japan
  • Iwatesan Activity reported
    Distance: 233 km ·Complex ·Elevation: 2'038 m ·Last eruption: 1919 ·Japan
  • Hachimantai
    Distance: 238 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: 1'613 m ·Last eruption: -5350 ·Japan

Subsequent earthquakes nearby

Events recorded after this earthquake within 150 km. They are not automatically classified as aftershocks.

First 6 hours15
First 24 hours26
First 72 hours45
Strongest subsequent eventM7.0
M5.82025-12-08 18:56:30 UTC27.9 km124 km S of Honchō, Japan M5.92025-12-08 18:56:30 UTC35.1 kmHOKKAIDO, JAPAN REGION M6.12025-12-08 21:52:38 UTC25.0 kmOff East Coast of Honshu, Japan M7.02025-12-08 21:52:39 UTC19.1 km M6.62025-12-08 21:52:40 UTC24.3 km125 km S of Honchō, Japan M6.52025-12-08 21:52:42 UTC36.8 kmEvent of magnitude 6.5, near of Sapporo (Monde) M6.72025-12-08 21:52:42 UTC27.4 kmHOKKAIDO, JAPAN REGION M5.32025-12-08 22:07:14 UTC17.9 kmEvent of magnitude 5.3, near of Sapporo (Monde) M5.12025-12-08 22:07:17 UTC29.1 km122 km S of Honchō, Japan M5.12025-12-08 22:07:19 UTC33.4 kmHokkaido, Japan Region M5.32025-12-08 23:59:02 UTC38.7 kmNear East Coast of Honshu, Japan M5.42025-12-08 23:59:03 UTC52.4 kmEvent of magnitude 5.4, near of Akita (Monde)

No unambiguous area assignment

Context for this earthquake

This event has no unambiguous country assignment in the analysed catalogue. It is therefore not assigned to a regional profile.

Earthquake overview

Historical context nearby

Comparison with recorded earthquakes before this event within 150 km.

Magnitude rank#32
Earlier events M≥4150
Earlier events M≥586
Compared since2025-01-08

The QuakeMap24 comparison dataset begins on 2024-03-23. Earlier earthquakes may not be included.

Strongest earlier events

M7.72025-12-08 14:15:13 UTC99.8 km M7.62025-12-08 14:15:12 UTC102.9 kmHOKKAIDO, JAPAN REGION M7.62025-12-08 14:15:10 UTC103.6 km74 km ENE of Misawa, Japan M7.62025-12-08 14:15:09 UTC89.8 km84 km ENE of Misawa, Japan M7.52025-12-08 14:15:10 UTC100.8 kmHokkaido, Japan Region

Stats (last 24h)

Global (24h)
459
Country (24h)
—
—
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