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M5.3 Earthquake near 78 km ENE of Mutsu, Japan

UTC time: 2025-05-12 14:54:29 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
M5.3
Depth
52.5 km
Source
USGS

78 km ENE of Mutsu, Japan

Map

M5.3 Earthquake near 78 km ENE of Mutsu, Japan · 2025-05-12 — Map showing the location of the epicenter
M5.3 Earthquake near 78 km ENE of Mutsu, Japan · 2025-05-12 — Map showing the location of the epicenter

About this earthquake

On May 12, 2025 at 14:54 UTC, a magnitude M5.3 earthquake occurred near 78 km ENE of Mutsu, Japan. The hypocenter lay relatively close to the surface at around 52 km, increasing how strongly it was felt. Earthquakes of this magnitude can damage poorly built structures.

The event was recorded by USGS.

Details

ID
32c27f82022c833061a8172ac28e2fd6466f5b32
Magnitude
M5.3
Depth
52.5 km
UTC time
2025-05-12 14:54:29 UTC
Local time
—
Country
—
Source
usgs
Coordinates
41.59200, 142.06760
Temperature
10.4°C

Depth profile

Depth profile Depth: 52.5 km (Shallow) Surface Shallow Intermediate Deep 0 km 70 km 300 km 700 km 52.5 km
Shallow
52.5 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
Mutsu78.5 kmSW56'244
Hakodate112.4 kmW275'730
Sapporo174.3 kmN1'973'832

GeoNames · CC BY 4.0

Volcanoes nearby

  • Esan
    Distance: 79 km ·Lava dome(s) ·Elevation: 617 m ·Last eruption: 1874 ·Japan
  • Osorezan
    Distance: 86 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: 878 m ·Last eruption: 1787 ·Japan
  • Kuttara
    Distance: 125 km ·Stratovolcano(es) ·Elevation: 549 m ·Last eruption: 1820 ·Japan
  • Hokkaido-Komagatake
    Distance: 127 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: 1'131 m ·Last eruption: 2000 ·Japan
  • Shikotsu
    Distance: 134 km ·Caldera ·Elevation: 1'320 m ·Last eruption: 1981 ·Japan
  • Hakkodasan
    Distance: 144 km ·Stratovolcano(es) ·Elevation: 1'584 m ·Last eruption: 1550 ·Japan

Radius · 100 km

Nearby infrastructure

Up to 3 nearest sites per category

Nuclear power plants

  • Higashidori (Tepco) nuclear power plantJapanOut of operationReactor units at site: 1
    71.2 kmStraight-line distance
  • Higashidori (Tohoku) nuclear power plantJapanOut of operationReactor units at site: 1
    72.2 kmStraight-line distance
  • Ohma nuclear power plantJapanUnder constructionReactor units at site: 1
    96.5 kmStraight-line distance

Source: Global Energy Monitor · Global Nuclear Power Tracker · Dataset date: 2026-08

This selection shows geographic proximity, not a hazard zone or confirmed impacts. Distances use recorded site coordinates. Sources & data dates

Subsequent earthquakes nearby

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

First 6 hours1
First 24 hours3
First 72 hours3
Strongest subsequent eventM6.1
M5.22025-05-12 14:54:30 UTC9.0 kmHokkaido, Japan Region M4.52025-05-12 21:33:35 UTC110.0 kmHOKKAIDO, JAPAN REGION M4.82025-05-12 21:33:36 UTC116.7 kmHokkaido, Japan Region M3.52025-05-17 08:15:30 UTC132.1 kmHOKKAIDO, JAPAN REGION M4.32025-05-19 04:16:12 UTC68.6 kmHOKKAIDO, JAPAN REGION M5.42025-05-22 21:27:55 UTC71.8 kmUrakawa M5.52025-05-22 21:28:00 UTC87.2 kmHokkaido, Japan Region M5.42025-05-22 21:28:01 UTC64.6 kmHOKKAIDO, JAPAN REGION M5.42025-05-22 21:28:01 UTC53.2 km M5.42025-05-22 21:28:01 UTC53.1 km34 km SSW of Urakawa, Japan M5.12025-05-26 08:47:43 UTC119.4 km M5.12025-05-26 08:47:44 UTC115.5 kmHOKKAIDO, JAPAN REGION

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#1
Earlier events M≥424
Earlier events M≥53
Compared since2025-01-08

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

Strongest earlier events

M5.32025-05-12 14:54:28 UTC0.0 km M5.02025-04-22 22:21:52 UTC93.1 kmHOKKAIDO, JAPAN REGION M5.02025-02-10 14:16:55 UTC61.9 km39 km ENE of Ōma, Japan M4.92025-02-15 11:34:12 UTC84.5 km112 km S of Honchō, Japan M4.82025-01-15 22:38:22 UTC1.5 km77 km ENE of Mutsu, Japan

Stats (last 24h)

Global (24h)
507
Country (24h)
—
—
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