M4.6 earthquake 15 km SE of Hakodate, Japan
A magnitude 4.6 earthquake struck 15 km SE of Hakodate, Japan on Sun, Jan 22, 1978, 2:17 PM JST (05:17 UTC), 135 km (84 mi) below the surface.
A larger quake followed: M4.9 40 km NW of Shimokizukuri, Japan. This one was a foreshock.
Map
Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.
The earthquake
- Magnitude
- 4.6 (mb), light
- Local time
- UTC
- 1978-01-22 05:17:27 UTC
- Depth
- 135.0 km (83.9 mi), intermediate-depth
- Epicenter
- 41.663° N, 140.849° 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.
- Stations used
- 16
Nearest places
Distance and direction from each place to the epicenter, with its forecast.
Nearby
Within 100 km, magnitude 1.6 and up: 1 in the 60 days after this one and 1 in the 30 days before it.
After
Before
Earthquakes todayJapan earthquakesLive radar here
Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp0000sn5. Read Tue, Sep 22, 2026, 9:12 AM UTC.