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Japan · Niigata Prefecture

M5.4 Earthquake near Kashiwazaki, Niigata Prefecture (Japan)

UTC time: 2026-09-16 15:07:45 UTC Local time: —
Earthquake newsQuakeMap24
First published: Content updated:

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

Magnitude
M5.4
Depth
10.0 km
Source
RESIF

Niigata Prefecture · Kashiwazaki

Country overview

Map

M5.4 Earthquake near Kashiwazaki, Niigata Prefecture (Japan) · 2026-09-16 — Map showing the location of the epicenter
M5.4 Earthquake near Kashiwazaki, Niigata Prefecture (Japan) · 2026-09-16 — Map showing the location of the epicenter

About this earthquake

A magnitude M5.4 earthquake was recorded near Kashiwazaki, Niigata Prefecture (Japan) on September 16, 2026 at 15:07 UTC. With a focal depth of about 10 km, this was a shallow earthquake, whose shaking is usually felt more strongly at the surface. Earthquakes of this magnitude can damage poorly built structures.

The data is provided by RESIF and cross-checked across seismological networks. Japan: over the past 24 hours, QuakeMap24 logged 7 earthquakes, the strongest at M5.7.

Details

ID
3cdec8b8b0f3129b6da00b5e76eefc2e1c151281
Magnitude
M5.4
Depth
10.0 km
UTC time
2026-09-16 15:07:45 UTC
Local time
—
Country
Japan
State
Niigata Prefecture
City
Kashiwazaki
Source
resif
Coordinates
37.46340, 138.69637
Temperature
22.0°C

Depth profile

Depth profile Depth: 10 km (Shallow) Surface Shallow Intermediate Deep 0 km 70 km 300 km 700 km 10 km
Shallow
10 km
10 km — shallower than the regional average (33.8 km)
Regional average: 33.8 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

Tectonic context

Located on the Okhotsk Plate.
Near the boundary Okhotsk ↔ Amur · about 71 km away

Nearby population centers

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

PlaceDistanceDirectionPopulation
Nagaoka13.6 kmE266'936
Niigata59.4 kmNE797'591

GeoNames · CC BY 4.0

Volcanoes nearby

  • Numazawa
    Distance: 77 km ·Shield ·Elevation: 835 m ·Last eruption: -3400 ·Japan
  • Hiuchigatake
    Distance: 77 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: 2'356 m ·Last eruption: 1544 ·Japan
  • Myokosan
    Distance: 82 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: 2'454 m ·Last eruption: -750 ·Japan
  • Niigata-Yakeyama
    Distance: 84 km ·Lava dome ·Elevation: 2'400 m ·Last eruption: 1998 ·Japan
  • Shiga
    Distance: 88 km ·Shield(s) ·Elevation: 2'041 m ·Japan
  • Kusatsu-Shiranesan
    Distance: 95 km ·Stratovolcano(es) ·Elevation: 2'165 m ·Last eruption: 2018 ·Japan

Radius · 100 km

Nearby infrastructure

Up to 3 nearest sites per category

Airports

  • Niigata AirportJapan · KIJ · RJSN
    65.7 kmStraight-line distance
  • Sado AirportJapan · SDS · RJSD
    70.9 kmStraight-line distance

Source: OurAirports · Dataset date: 2026-11-08

Nuclear power plants

  • Kashiwazaki Kariwa nuclear power plantJapanUnder construction · Out of operation · Operating at dataset dateReactor units at site: 7
    9.9 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

Japan

Context for this earthquake

05 Oct 2025 – 05 Oct 2026 · M ≥ 3.0 · 968 Catalogue entries

Sufficiently reliable matching data are not currently available for a direct comparison. The area profile shows the available records and their limitations.

Open seismic profile

Historical context nearby

Comparison with recorded earthquakes before this event within 150 km.

Magnitude rank#1
Earlier events M≥434
Earlier events M≥59
Compared since2025-01-22

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

Strongest earlier events

M5.32026-02-13 04:58:33 UTC120.1 km M5.22026-07-02 11:48:29 UTC49.5 kmTadami M5.22026-02-13 04:58:57 UTC48.0 kmEvent of magnitude 5.2, near of Niigata (Monde) M5.22026-04-18 05:54:31 UTC118.2 kmEastern Honshu, Japan M5.22025-04-18 11:19:28 UTC128.8 km1 km ENE of Ōmachi, Japan

Historic earthquake map · Japan

Open history map
Explore recent and long-term earthquake activity in this country. Use filters to narrow down by magnitude, depth, and date range.

Country statistics · Japan

Country overview
View earthquake KPIs, strongest and latest events, and averages for this country.

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