Japan earthquakes

M5.7 earthquake 31 km S of Aso, Japan

A magnitude 5.7 earthquake struck 31 km S of Aso, Japan on Tue, Jul 4, 1978, 11:40 AM JST (02:40 UTC), 118 km (73 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
5.7 (mb, body-wave), moderate
Magnitude from
USGS National Earthquake Information Center
Local time
UTC
1978-07-04 02:40:54 UTC
Depth
118.0 km (73.3 mi), intermediate-depth
Epicenter
32.655° N, 131.120° E
Region
Japan
Strongest shaking
IV, light shaking
Tsunami flag
No
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

Magnitude estimates

Different scales measure different things and differ by a few tenths. The USGS marks one as preferred, and it is the one this page uses.

Mag.ScaleComputed byNotes
5.7mb, body-waveUSGS National Earthquake Information CenterPreferred · Reviewed
5.79Mw, momentISC-GEM global catalogFinal · ±0.1
5.8Mwc, centroid momentGlobal CMT projectPreliminary

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
2.4% of gravity
Peak ground velocity
0.1 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.

Depth from
CONSTRAINED_BY_DEPTH_PHASES
Stations used
296

Nearest places

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

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 2.7 and up: 0 in the 60 days after this one and 0 in the 30 days before it.

None recorded.

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Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp0000ve0 (also filed as gcmtb070478a, gcmt19780704024054, iscgem678936, atlas19780704024055). Read Fri, Oct 2, 2026, 2:38 AM UTC.