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Japan · Iwate Prefecture

M6.4 Earthquake near Ofunato, Iwate Prefecture (Japan)

UTC time: 2026-05-15 11:21:57 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
M6.4
Depth
10.0 km
Source
SERBIA_RSZ

Iwate Prefecture · Ofunato

Country overview

Map

M6.4 Earthquake near Ofunato, Iwate Prefecture (Japan) · 2026-05-15 — Map showing the location of the epicenter
M6.4 Earthquake near Ofunato, Iwate Prefecture (Japan) · 2026-05-15 — Map showing the location of the epicenter

About this earthquake

A magnitude M6.4 earthquake was recorded near Ofunato, Iwate Prefecture (Japan) on May 15, 2026 at 11:21 UTC. With a focal depth of about 10 km, this was a shallow earthquake, whose shaking is usually felt more strongly at the surface. Events of this size are considered strong and can be dangerous in inhabited regions.

The data is provided by Seismological Survey of Serbia and cross-checked across seismological networks. Japan: 3 earthquakes were recorded in the past 24 hours, the strongest reaching M3.9.

Details

ID
5d69a71195f1e41ffb3d0e3c27df55e82d92dc9c
Magnitude
M6.4
Depth
10.0 km
UTC time
2026-05-15 11:21:57 UTC
Local time
—
Country
Japan
State
Iwate Prefecture
City
Ofunato
Source
serbia_rsz
Coordinates
38.93000, 141.99000

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 (33.2 km)
Regional average: 33.2 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
Ōfunato28.4 kmNW35'452
Ichinoseki74.1 kmW114'476
Sendai122.4 kmSW1'096'704

GeoNames · CC BY 4.0

Volcanoes nearby

  • Kurikomayama
    Distance: 104 km ·Stratovolcano ·Last eruption: 1950 ·Japan
  • Naruko
    Distance: 111 km ·Caldera ·Elevation: 470 m ·Last eruption: 837 ·Japan
  • Iwatesan Activity reported
    Distance: 133 km ·Complex ·Elevation: 2'038 m ·Last eruption: 1919 ·Japan
  • Akita-Komagatake
    Distance: 138 km ·Stratovolcano(es) ·Elevation: 1'637 m ·Last eruption: 1971 ·Japan
  • Hachimantai
    Distance: 150 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: 1'613 m ·Last eruption: -5350 ·Japan
  • Akita-Yakeyama
    Distance: 156 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: 1'366 m ·Last eruption: 1997 ·Japan

Radius · 100 km

Nearby infrastructure

Up to 3 nearest sites per category

Airports

  • Iwate Hanamaki AirportJapan · HNA · RJSI
    92.2 kmStraight-line distance

Source: OurAirports · Dataset date: 2026-10-04

Nuclear power plants

  • Onagawa nuclear power plantJapanOut of operation · Operating at dataset date · Permanently shut downReactor units at site: 3
    72.8 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 250 km. They are not automatically classified as aftershocks.

First 6 hours5
First 24 hours5
First 72 hours11
Strongest subsequent eventM6.7
M6.52026-05-15 11:21:58 UTC4.1 kmNear East Coast of Honshu, Japan M6.22026-05-15 11:21:59 UTC21.6 kmda chuan du shi M6.72026-05-15 11:22:01 UTC22.6 km###.# km ( ###.# mi) NW (az= 308.3) from Wendover, UT M6.72026-05-15 11:22:01 UTC5.5 kmNEAR EAST COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN M6.62026-05-15 11:22:06 UTC27.7 kmNear east coast of eastern Honshu, Japan [Sea: Japan] M5.02026-05-17 00:07:24 UTC149.7 kmOff East Coast of Honshu, Japan M4.72026-05-17 00:07:28 UTC141.2 kmOFF EAST COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN M4.62026-05-17 00:07:30 UTC169.2 kmNear East Coast of Honshu, Japan M4.22026-05-17 02:42:15 UTC15.0 kmda chuan du shi M3.72026-05-17 09:02:30 UTC26.2 kmNEAR EAST COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN M4.02026-05-18 06:19:30 UTC119.5 kmNEAR EAST COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN M4.82026-05-18 17:04:28 UTC155.2 kmOff East Coast of Honshu, Japan

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 250 km.

Magnitude rank#33
Earlier events M≥4697
Earlier events M≥5348
Compared since2025-01-05

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 UTC230.4 km M7.62026-04-20 07:52:57 UTC161.0 kmOff East Coast of Honshu, Japan M7.62025-12-08 14:15:12 UTC234.4 kmHOKKAIDO, JAPAN REGION M7.62025-12-08 14:15:10 UTC235.3 km74 km ENE of Misawa, Japan M7.62025-12-08 14:15:09 UTC231.7 km84 km ENE of Misawa, 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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