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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.

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 (33.1 km)
Regional average: 33.1 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: 2026-09-20

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

20 Sep 2025 – 20 Sep 2026 · M ≥ 3.0 · 953 Catalogue entries

Of 952 other entries for this area and period, 33 have a higher stored magnitude. Different magnitude types and reports not yet merged limit the comparison.

Open seismic profile

Historical context nearby

Comparison with recorded earthquakes before this event within 150 km.

Magnitude rank#1
Earlier events M≥435
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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