Japan earthquakes

M7.9 earthquake 70 km S of Honchō, Japan

A magnitude 7.9 earthquake struck 70 km S of Honchō, Japan on Thu, May 16, 1968, 7:39 PM JST (10:39 UTC), 31 km (19 mi) below the surface.

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Map

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

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The earthquake

Magnitude: 7.9 (Mw, moment), major
Magnitude from: ISC-GEM global catalog
Local time: Thu, May 16, 1968, 7:39 PM JST
UTC: 1968-05-16 10:39:03 UTC
Depth: 31.1 km (19.3 mi), shallow
Epicenter: 41.498° N, 142.858° E
Region: Japan
Strongest shaking: VII, very strong shaking
Tsunami flag: No
Status: Reviewed by a seismologist

Deaths and damage

From NOAA NCEI’s Significant Earthquake Database (record 4439), matched to this event by time and place.

NOAA’s record of this earthquake gives no deaths, injuries or damage.

NOAA’s full record of this earthquake The tsunami it caused

Shaking

The USGS ShakeMap: shaking estimated from seismic stations and the quake’s size, on the Modified Mercalli intensity scale.

Strongest estimated: VII, very strong shaking
Peak ground acceleration: 22.7% of gravity
Peak ground velocity: 3.2 cm/s
Map: Automatic

USGS ShakeMap: estimated shaking intensity around the epicenter — Estimated shaking intensity. Map: USGS ShakeMap.

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: ±0.33
Depth from: From location

Nearest places

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

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 4.9 and up: 14 in the 60 days after this one and 5 in the 30 days before it.

After

Before

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Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event iscgem822083 (also filed as atlas19680516103900). Read Sun, Oct 4, 2026, 12:22 AM UTC.