Back to map

M5.3 Earthquake near Off East Coast of Honshu, Japan

UTC time: 2026-04-21 18:44:13 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

M5.3

Depth: 37.0 km
Source: GFZ

Off East Coast of Honshu, Japan

Map

About this earthquake

A magnitude M5.3 earthquake was recorded near Off East Coast of Honshu, Japan on April 21, 2026 at 18:44 UTC. With a focal depth of about 37 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 event was recorded by GFZ.

Details

ca7b31922af709e00c8b4f4f155ca7344e5f1b01

Magnitude

M5.3

Depth

37.0 km

UTC time

2026-04-21 18:44:13 UTC

Local time

—

Country

—

Source

gfz

Coordinates

40.14000, 143.19000

Temperature

10.1°C

Depth profile

Shallow

37 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

Miyako119.9 kmSW51'150

Hachinohe148.8 kmW239'046

Sendai288.9 kmSW1'096'704

GeoNames · CC BY 4.0

Volcanoes nearby

Iwatesan Activity reported

Distance: 189 km ·Complex ·Elevation: 2'038 m ·Last eruption: 1919 ·Japan
Hachimantai

Distance: 200 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: 1'613 m ·Last eruption: -5350 ·Japan
Towada

Distance: 200 km ·Caldera ·Elevation: 1'011 m ·Last eruption: 915 ·Japan
Hakkodasan

Distance: 204 km ·Stratovolcano(es) ·Elevation: 1'584 m ·Last eruption: 1550 ·Japan
Akita-Yakeyama

Distance: 208 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: 1'366 m ·Last eruption: 1997 ·Japan
Akita-Komagatake

Distance: 208 km ·Stratovolcano(es) ·Elevation: 1'637 m ·Last eruption: 1971 ·Japan

Subsequent earthquakes nearby

Events recorded after this earthquake within 150 km. They are not automatically classified as aftershocks.

First 6 hours7

First 24 hours20

First 72 hours31

Strongest subsequent eventM5.9

M5.92026-04-21 18:44:15 UTC55.4 kmNear east coast of eastern Honshu M5.22026-04-21 18:44:16 UTC16.3 kmOff East Coast of Honshu, Japan M5.22026-04-22 00:01:07 UTC35.4 kmOff East Coast of Honshu, Japan M5.42026-04-22 00:01:09 UTC33.6 kmOff East Coast of Honshu, Japan M5.22026-04-22 00:01:11 UTC38.2 kmEvent of magnitude 5.2, near Sendai (Monde) M5.32026-04-22 00:01:12 UTC24.7 kmOFF EAST COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN M5.32026-04-22 00:01:16 UTC120.1 km M4.22026-04-22 09:49:07 UTC23.7 kmOFF EAST COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN M4.52026-04-22 09:49:11 UTC70.3 kmNear East Coast of Honshu, Japan M4.72026-04-22 12:06:23 UTC62.2 kmNear East Coast of Honshu, Japan M4.52026-04-22 12:06:24 UTC60.7 kmNEAR EAST COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN M4.52026-04-22 12:06:26 UTC78.0 km47 km ENE of Noda, 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 150 km.

Magnitude rank#154

Earlier events M≥4482

Earlier events M≥5279

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 UTC127.9 km M7.62026-04-20 07:52:57 UTC8.4 kmOff East Coast of Honshu, Japan M7.62025-12-08 14:15:12 UTC132.8 kmHOKKAIDO, JAPAN REGION M7.62025-12-08 14:15:10 UTC133.9 km74 km ENE of Misawa, Japan M7.62025-12-08 14:15:09 UTC121.6 km84 km ENE of Misawa, Japan

Stats (last 24h)

Global (24h)

597

Country (24h)

—

Current earthquakes in

Magnitude Place Local time

No recent events available.