M5.5 earthquake 55 km ESE of Hitachi, Japan
A magnitude 5.5 earthquake struck 55 km ESE of Hitachi, Japan on Thu, Mar 21, 1963, 1:00 PM JST (04:00 UTC), 45 km (28 mi) below the surface.
A larger quake followed: M6.3 50 km E of ?arai, Japan. This one was a foreshock.
Map
Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.
The earthquake
- Magnitude
- 5.5 (mw), moderate
- Local time
- UTC
- 1963-03-21 04:00:11 UTC
- Depth
- 45.1 km (28.0 mi), shallow
- Epicenter
- 36.390° N, 141.208° E
- Region
- Japan
- Strongest shaking
- IV, light shaking
- Tsunami flag
- No
- Status
- Reviewed by a seismologist
Shaking
The USGS ShakeMap: shaking estimated from seismic stations and the quake’s size, on the Modified Mercalli intensity scale.
- Strongest estimated
- IV, light shaking
- Peak ground acceleration
- 1.5% of gravity
- Peak ground velocity
- 0.3 cm/s
- Map
- Automatic
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: 1 in the 60 days after this one and 0 in the 30 days before it.
After
Earthquakes todayJapan earthquakesLive radar here
Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event iscgem872004. Read Tue, Sep 22, 2026, 7:44 PM UTC.