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M5.8 Earthquake near Near East Coast of Honshu, Japan

UTC time: 2025-12-21 01:29:04 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
M5.8
Depth
64.0 km
Source
GFZ

Near East Coast of Honshu, Japan

Map

M5.8 Earthquake near Near East Coast of Honshu, Japan · 2025-12-21 — Map showing the location of the epicenter
M5.8 Earthquake near Near East Coast of Honshu, Japan · 2025-12-21 — Map showing the location of the epicenter

About this earthquake

On December 21, 2025 at 01:29 UTC, a magnitude M5.8 earthquake occurred near Near East Coast of Honshu, Japan. With a focal depth of about 64 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 GFZ and cross-checked across seismological networks.

Details

ID
8df538165e1efc937615fc4e2de0cce668b70941
Magnitude
M5.8
Depth
64.0 km
UTC time
2025-12-21 01:29:04 UTC
Local time
—
Country
—
Source
gfz
Coordinates
40.76000, 142.24000
Temperature
13.6°C

Depth profile

Depth profile Depth: 64 km (Shallow) Surface Shallow Intermediate Deep 0 km 70 km 300 km 700 km 64 km
Shallow
64 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
Hitokawame68.4 kmW24'273
Hachinohe68.8 kmSW239'046
Sapporo266.8 kmN1'973'832

GeoNames · CC BY 4.0

Volcanoes nearby

  • Osorezan
    Distance: 110 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: 878 m ·Last eruption: 1787 ·Japan
  • Hakkodasan
    Distance: 115 km ·Stratovolcano(es) ·Elevation: 1'584 m ·Last eruption: 1550 ·Japan
  • Towada
    Distance: 118 km ·Caldera ·Elevation: 1'011 m ·Last eruption: 915 ·Japan
  • Iwatesan Activity reported
    Distance: 146 km ·Complex ·Elevation: 2'038 m ·Last eruption: 1919 ·Japan
  • Esan
    Distance: 147 km ·Lava dome(s) ·Elevation: 617 m ·Last eruption: 1874 ·Japan
  • Hachimantai
    Distance: 147 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: 1'613 m ·Last eruption: -5350 ·Japan

Radius · 100 km

Nearby infrastructure

Up to 3 nearest sites per category

Airports

  • Misawa Airport / Misawa Air BaseJapan · MSJ · RJSM
    73.7 kmStraight-line distance

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

Nuclear power plants

  • Higashidori (Tohoku) nuclear power plantJapanOut of operationReactor units at site: 1
    85.8 kmStraight-line distance
  • Higashidori (Tepco) nuclear power plantJapanOut of operationReactor units at site: 1
    90.8 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 150 km. They are not automatically classified as aftershocks.

First 6 hours0
First 24 hours2
First 72 hours2
Strongest subsequent eventM6.1
M4.32025-12-21 19:32:38 UTC84.7 km109 km S of Honchō, Japan M4.52025-12-21 23:33:05 UTC107.5 kmEASTERN HONSHU, JAPAN M5.72025-12-25 16:17:36 UTC89.5 kmHokkaido, Japan Region M5.62025-12-25 16:17:37 UTC62.7 kmEvent of magnitude 5.6, near of Sapporo (Monde) M5.62025-12-25 16:17:41 UTC56.0 kmHOKKAIDO, JAPAN REGION M5.72025-12-25 16:17:42 UTC58.2 kmHokkaido, Japan Region M5.72025-12-25 16:17:42 UTC52.7 kmJapan [Sea] M5.62025-12-25 16:17:43 UTC53.5 km99 km E of Yokohama, Japan M4.62025-12-25 16:25:53 UTC62.4 km94 km E of Mutsu, Japan M5.02025-12-30 22:19:48 UTC148.7 km113 km E of Miyako, Japan M4.82025-12-30 23:51:30 UTC143.4 kmNEAR EAST COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN M4.82025-12-30 23:51:34 UTC144.8 kmNear East Coast of Honshu, Japan

Comparison of seismic sources

2 sources currently report magnitudes from M5.6 to M5.8.

Measurements can differ because agencies use different networks and calculation methods. Values may be revised.

SourceMagnitudeDepthPosition difference
USPM5.659.6 km5.0 km
GFZM5.864.0 km0.0 km

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 150 km.

Magnitude rank#26
Earlier events M≥4219
Earlier events M≥5113
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 UTC26.8 km M7.62025-12-08 14:15:12 UTC31.5 kmHOKKAIDO, JAPAN REGION M7.62025-12-08 14:15:10 UTC32.5 km74 km ENE of Misawa, Japan M7.62025-12-08 14:15:09 UTC27.2 km84 km ENE of Misawa, Japan M7.52025-12-08 14:15:10 UTC28.4 kmHokkaido, Japan Region

Stats (last 24h)

Global (24h)
530
Country (24h)
—
—
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