Japan earthquakes

M5.9 earthquake 142 km ESE of Iwaki, Japan

A magnitude 5.9 earthquake struck 142 km ESE of Iwaki, Japan on Fri, Dec 9, 1938, 6:35 PM JST (09:35 UTC), 25 km (16 mi) below the surface.

Iwaki forecastMore in Japan

Map

Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.

Open the live map with earthquakes

The earthquake

Magnitude
5.9 (mw), moderate
Local time
UTC
1938-12-09 09:35:20 UTC
Depth
25.0 km (15.5 mi), shallow
Epicenter
36.679° N, 142.411° E
Region
Japan
Tsunami flag
No
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

Did you feel it?

No one has reported feeling this quake to the USGS.

How well it is located

Reviewed by a seismologist.

Magnitude uncertainty
±0.20
Depth from
From location

Nearest places

Distance and direction from each place to the epicenter, with its forecast.

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 2.5 and up: 2 in the 60 days after this one and 18 in the 30 days before it.

After

  1. 5.786 km ESE of Iwaki, Japan · 32061 days ago · 25 km deep · 59 km away
  2. 5.859 km E of Iwaki, Japan · 32051 days ago · 25 km deep · 87 km away

Before

  1. 5.859 km E of Iwaki, Japan · 32068 days ago · 25 km deep · 90 km away
  2. 5.877 km E of Iwaki, Japan · 32070 days ago · 25 km deep · 74 km away
  3. 6.5100 km ESE of Iwaki, Japan · 32070 days ago · 25 km deep · 42 km away
  4. 5.9178 km ESE of Namie, Japan · 32071 days ago · 25 km deep · 65 km away
  5. 7.099 km E of Iwaki, Japan · 32074 days ago · 30 km deep · 54 km away
  6. 6.5127 km ESE of Iwaki, Japan · 32074 days ago · 25 km deep · 16 km away
  7. 5.8off the east coast of Honshu, Japan · 32078 days ago · 25 km deep · 79 km away
  8. 5.894 km E of Iwaki, Japan · 32078 days ago · 25 km deep · 60 km away
  9. 6.392 km E of Iwaki, Japan · 32079 days ago · 25 km deep · 59 km away
  10. 5.7136 km E of Iwaki, Japan · 32080 days ago · 25 km deep · 16 km away
  11. 5.6151 km ESE of Iwaki, Japan · 32081 days ago · 25 km deep · 9 km away
  12. 5.7127 km ESE of Iwaki, Japan · 32082 days ago · 25 km deep · 16 km away
  13. 6.0149 km ESE of Iwaki, Japan · 32082 days ago · 25 km deep · 11 km away
  14. 6.8155 km ESE of Iwaki, Japan · 32082 days ago · 25 km deep · 13 km away
  15. 6.271 km ESE of Namie, Japan · 32087 days ago · 25 km deep · 92 km away
  16. 6.2165 km ESE of Namie, Japan · 32090 days ago · 25 km deep · 48 km away
  17. 7.1200 km ESE of Iwaki, Japan · 32090 days ago · 35 km deep · 59 km away
  18. 5.8129 km ESE of Iwaki, Japan · 32094 days ago · 25 km deep · 13 km away

Earthquakes todayJapan earthquakesLive radar here

Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event iscgem902862. Read Tue, Sep 22, 2026, 10:27 PM UTC.