M5.6 earthquake 149 km ESE of Yamada, Japan
A magnitude 5.6 earthquake struck 149 km ESE of Yamada, Japan on Fri, Sep 17, 1971, 3:51 AM JST (18:51 UTC), 18 km (11 mi) below the surface.
A larger quake followed: M6.3 119 km E of Yamada, Japan. This one was a foreshock.
Map
Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.
The earthquake
- Magnitude
- 5.6 (mw), moderate
- Local time
- UTC
- 1971-09-16 18:51:42 UTC
- Depth
- 17.5 km (10.9 mi), shallow
- Epicenter
- 39.180° N, 143.643° 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 1 in the 30 days before it.
After
- 5.1125 km E of Yamada, Japan · 20092 days ago · 26 km deep · 31 km away
- 6.3119 km E of Yamada, Japan · 20088 days ago · 21 km deep · 35 km away
Before
Earthquakes todayJapan earthquakesLive radar here
Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event iscgem780383. Read Tue, Sep 22, 2026, 9:33 PM UTC.