Japan earthquakes

M5.0 earthquake 153 km ESE of ?funato, Japan

A magnitude 5.0 earthquake struck 153 km ESE of ?funato, Japan on Sat, Dec 2, 1978, 8:03 AM JST (23:03 UTC), 33 km (21 mi) below the surface.

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

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The earthquake

Magnitude
5.0 (ms), moderate
Local time
UTC
1978-12-01 23:03:40 UTC
Depth
33.0 km (20.5 mi), shallow
Epicenter
38.415° N, 143.271° 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.

Depth from
OPERATOR_ASSIGNED
Stations used
55

Nearest places

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

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 2.0 and up: 3 in the 60 days after this one and 1 in the 30 days before it.

After

  1. 4.373 km SE of ?funato, Japan · 17455 days ago · 57 km deep · 82 km away
  2. 4.397 km ESE of Ishinomaki, Japan · 17435 days ago · 47 km deep · 81 km away
  3. 4.478 km SE of ?funato, Japan · 17425 days ago · 38 km deep · 77 km away

Before

  1. 3.9125 km ESE of Ishinomaki, Japan · 17470 days ago · 49 km deep · 75 km away

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Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp0000xqm. Read Tue, Sep 22, 2026, 8:43 PM UTC.