Back to map

M5.9 Earthquake near Near east coast of eastern Honshu

UTC time: 2026-04-21 18:44:15 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

M5.9

Depth: 14.8 km
Source: ISC

Near east coast of eastern Honshu

Map

About this earthquake

On April 21, 2026 at 18:44 UTC, a magnitude M5.9 earthquake occurred near Near east coast of eastern Honshu. With a focal depth of about 15 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 ISC.

Details

f9148443a959a6cc12fa4e33e6cfc6285ce32247

Magnitude

M5.9

Depth

14.8 km

UTC time

2026-04-21 18:44:15 UTC

Local time

—

Country

—

Source

isc

Coordinates

40.43670, 142.66600

Temperature

10.5°C

Depth profile

Shallow

14.8 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

Kuji80.9 kmW34'418

Hachinohe98.9 kmW239'046

Sendai286.6 kmSW1'096'704

GeoNames · CC BY 4.0

Volcanoes nearby

Towada

Distance: 151 km ·Caldera ·Elevation: 1'011 m ·Last eruption: 915 ·Japan
Hakkodasan

Distance: 153 km ·Stratovolcano(es) ·Elevation: 1'584 m ·Last eruption: 1550 ·Japan
Iwatesan Activity reported

Distance: 156 km ·Complex ·Elevation: 2'038 m ·Last eruption: 1919 ·Japan
Osorezan

Distance: 160 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: 878 m ·Last eruption: 1787 ·Japan
Hachimantai

Distance: 163 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: 1'613 m ·Last eruption: -5350 ·Japan
Akita-Yakeyama

Distance: 170 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: 1'366 m ·Last eruption: 1997 ·Japan

Subsequent earthquakes nearby

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

First 6 hours6

First 24 hours19

First 72 hours30

Strongest subsequent eventM5.5

M5.22026-04-21 18:44:16 UTC57.0 kmOff East Coast of Honshu, Japan M5.22026-04-22 00:01:07 UTC90.4 kmOff East Coast of Honshu, Japan M5.42026-04-22 00:01:09 UTC84.6 kmOff East Coast of Honshu, Japan M5.22026-04-22 00:01:11 UTC49.2 kmEvent of magnitude 5.2, near Sendai (Monde) M5.32026-04-22 00:01:12 UTC73.7 kmOFF EAST COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN M5.32026-04-22 00:01:16 UTC75.5 km M4.22026-04-22 09:49:07 UTC63.9 kmOFF EAST COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN M4.52026-04-22 09:49:11 UTC66.7 kmNear East Coast of Honshu, Japan M4.72026-04-22 12:06:23 UTC33.5 kmNear East Coast of Honshu, Japan M4.52026-04-22 12:06:24 UTC19.3 kmNEAR EAST COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN M4.52026-04-22 12:06:26 UTC33.7 km47 km ENE of Noda, Japan M5.32026-04-22 12:18:32 UTC75.5 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 150 km.

Magnitude rank#53

Earlier events M≥4501

Earlier events M≥5285

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 UTC74.6 km M7.62026-04-20 07:52:57 UTC55.9 kmOff East Coast of Honshu, Japan M7.62025-12-08 14:15:12 UTC79.5 kmHOKKAIDO, JAPAN REGION M7.62025-12-08 14:15:10 UTC80.6 km74 km ENE of Misawa, Japan M7.62025-12-08 14:15:09 UTC69.8 km84 km ENE of Misawa, Japan

Stats (last 24h)

Global (24h)

497

Country (24h)

—

Current earthquakes in

Magnitude Place Local time

No recent events available.