M4.5 earthquake 8 km NNW of Itako, Japan
A magnitude 4.5 earthquake struck 8 km NNW of Itako, Japan on Fri, Dec 8, 1978, 2:32 PM JST (05:32 UTC), 68 km (42 mi) below the surface.
A larger quake followed: M4.8 3 km W of Toride, Japan. This one was a foreshock.
Map
Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.
The earthquake
- Magnitude
- 4.5 (mb), light
- Local time
- UTC
- 1978-12-08 05:32:42 UTC
- Depth
- 68.0 km (42.3 mi), shallow
- Epicenter
- 36.007° N, 140.525° 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
- 21
Nearest places
Distance and direction from each place to the epicenter, with its forecast.
Nearby
Within 100 km, magnitude 1.5 and up: 4 in the 60 days after this one and 1 in the 30 days before it.
After
- 4.53 km E of Tokorozawa, Japan · 17436 days ago · 111 km deep · 95 km away
- 4.35 km SW of Shiroi, Japan · 17432 days ago · 85 km deep · 52 km away
- 4.83 km W of Toride, Japan · 17430 days ago · 80 km deep · 45 km away
- 4.9near the east coast of Honshu, Japan · 17412 days ago · 67 km deep · 74 km away
Before
Earthquakes todayJapan earthquakesLive radar here
Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp0000xts. Read Tue, Sep 22, 2026, 3:37 AM UTC.