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M5.6 Earthquake near Ryukyu Islands, Japan

UTC time: 2026-05-20 02:46:20 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

M5.6

Depth: 10.0 km
Source: USP

Ryukyu Islands, Japan

Map

About this earthquake

A magnitude M5.6 earthquake was recorded near Ryukyu Islands, Japan on May 20, 2026 at 02:46 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 can cause damage near the epicenter.

The event was recorded by USP.

Details

84a329773d4c7ed16f34684bca7f452716afa3aa

Magnitude

M5.6

Depth

10.0 km

UTC time

2026-05-20 02:46:20 UTC

Local time

—

Country

—

Source

usp

Coordinates

27.54530, 128.45209

Depth profile

Shallow

10 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

Tsuha104.9 kmS17'969

Uruma142.7 kmSW125'303

Kagoshima491.0 kmNE595'049

GeoNames · CC BY 4.0

Volcanoes nearby

Io-Torishima

Distance: 44 km ·Complex ·Elevation: 212 m ·Last eruption: 1968 ·Japan
Yokoatejima

Distance: 149 km ·Stratovolcano(es) ·Elevation: 495 m ·Last eruption: 1835 ·Japan
Akusekijima

Distance: 241 km ·Stratovolcano(es) ·Elevation: 555 m ·Japan
Suwanosejima

Distance: 263 km ·Stratovolcano(es) ·Elevation: 796 m ·Last eruption: 2026 ·Japan
Nakanoshima

Distance: 291 km ·Stratovolcano(es) ·Elevation: 979 m ·Last eruption: 1914 ·Japan
Kuchinoshima

Distance: 305 km ·Stratovolcano(es) ·Elevation: 628 m ·Last eruption: 1190 ·Japan

Radius · 100 km

Nearby infrastructure

Up to 3 nearest sites per category

Airports

Okinoerabu AirportJapan · OKE · RJKB
28.0 kmStraight-line distance
Tokunoshima AirportJapan · TKN · RJKN
53.2 kmStraight-line distance
Yoron AirportJapan · RNJ · RORY
56.0 kmStraight-line distance

Source: OurAirports · Dataset date: 2026-10-05

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 hours5

First 24 hours5

First 72 hours5

Strongest subsequent eventM6.0

M6.02026-05-20 02:46:21 UTC5.5 kmzhi ming ting M6.02026-05-20 02:46:21 UTC19.4 kmRyukyu Islands, Japan M5.82026-05-20 02:46:23 UTC32.6 kmhe po ting M5.62026-05-20 02:46:26 UTC27.9 kmhe po ting M5.72026-05-20 02:46:29 UTC2.1 kmzhi ming ting M3.92026-05-31 01:58:30 UTC16.8 kmRYUKYU ISLANDS, JAPAN M3.22026-06-04 02:36:30 UTC15.4 kmhe po ting M3.02026-06-04 03:34:30 UTC44.5 kmRYUKYU ISLANDS, JAPAN M3.02026-06-15 19:11:30 UTC103.7 kmSetouchi

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≥440

Earlier events M≥511

Compared since2025-01-07

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

Strongest earlier events

M5.52025-12-30 08:12:27 UTC34.4 kmRyukyu Islands, Japan [Sea: Japan] M5.52025-12-30 08:12:25 UTC28.8 km20 km NNE of Wadomari, Japan M5.52025-12-30 08:12:24 UTC28.9 km20 km NNE of Wadomari, Japan M5.42025-12-30 08:12:26 UTC23.9 kmRyukyu Islands, Japan M5.12026-03-29 07:07:55 UTC60.4 kmjiu mi dao ting

Stats (last 24h)

Global (24h)

612

Country (24h)

—

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