Japan earthquakes

M6.6 earthquake 23 km SE of It?, Japan

A magnitude 6.6 earthquake struck 23 km SE of It?, Japan on Sat, Jan 14, 1978, 12:24 PM JST (03:24 UTC), 14 km (9 mi) below the surface.

Itō forecast More in Japan

Map

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

Open the live map with earthquakes

The earthquake

Magnitude: 6.6 (ms), strong
Local time: Sat, Jan 14, 1978, 12:24 PM JST
UTC: 1978-01-14 03:24:39 UTC
Depth: 14.0 km (8.7 mi), shallow
Epicenter: 34.809° N, 139.259° E
Region: Japan
Strongest shaking: VIII, severe shaking
Tsunami flag: No
Status: Reviewed by a seismologist

Shaking

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

Strongest estimated: VIII, severe shaking
Peak ground acceleration: 64.1% of gravity
Peak ground velocity: 4.3 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.

Fault motion and ground failure

How the rock slipped, from the moment tensor, and the USGS estimate of landslides and liquefaction.

Landslide alert: Orange
Liquefaction alert: Orange

How well it is located

Reviewed by a seismologist.

Stations used: 218

Nearest places

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

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 2.5 and up: 7 in the 60 days after this one and 5 in the 30 days before it.

After

Before

Earthquakes today Japan earthquakes Live radar here

Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp0000sge (also filed as gcmtd011478b, gcmt19780114032439, atlas19780114032440, iscgem687650). Read Tue, Sep 22, 2026, 7:03 AM UTC.