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Japan · Ibaraki Prefecture

M4.3 Earthquake near Hitachi, Ibaraki Prefecture (Japan)

UTC time: 2026-08-20 05:28:41 UTC Local time: —

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About this earthquake

A magnitude M4.3 earthquake was recorded near Hitachi, Ibaraki Prefecture (Japan) on August 20, 2026 at 05:28 UTC. The hypocenter lay relatively close to the surface at around 48 km, increasing how strongly it was felt. Tremors of this size are distinctly felt and can occasionally cause light damage.

The event was recorded by USGS. Japan: 2 earthquakes were recorded in the past 24 hours, the strongest reaching M3.6.

Details

ID
4294c099106d939f127acd36e2767aa9eb767210
Magnitude
M4.3
Depth
47.8 km
UTC time
2026-08-20 05:28:41 UTC
Local time
—
Country
Japan
State
Ibaraki Prefecture
City
Hitachi
Source
usgs
Coordinates
36.65100, 140.63990
Temperature
28.5°C

Depth profile

Depth profile Depth: 47.8 km (Shallow) Surface Shallow Intermediate Deep 0 km 70 km 300 km 700 km 47.8 km
Shallow
47.8 km
47.8 km — deeper than the regional average (33.7 km)
Regional average: 33.7 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

Volcanoes nearby

  • Nasudake
    Distance: 80 km ·Stratovolcano(es) ·Elevation: 1'915 m ·Last eruption: 1963 ·Japan
  • Takaharayama
    Distance: 82 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: 1'795 m ·Last eruption: -4570 ·Japan
  • Nantaisan
    Distance: 103 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: 2'486 m ·Last eruption: -9540 ·Japan
  • Omanago Group
    Distance: 105 km ·Lava dome(s) ·Elevation: 2'341 m ·Last eruption: -3050 ·Japan
  • Nikko-Shiranesan
    Distance: 114 km ·Shield ·Elevation: 2'578 m ·Last eruption: 1952 ·Japan
  • Adatarayama
    Distance: 115 km ·Stratovolcano(es) ·Elevation: 1'728 m ·Last eruption: 1996 ·Japan

Radius · 50 km

Nearby infrastructure

Up to 3 nearest sites per category

Nuclear power plants

  • Japan Power Demonstration Reactor nuclear power plantJapanPermanently shut downReactor units at site: 1Approximate location
    21.8 kmStraight-line distance
  • Tokai nuclear power plantJapanUnder construction · Permanently shut downReactor units at site: 2
    25.7 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

Historic earthquake map · Japan

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Country statistics · Japan

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

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