M5.8 earthquake 32 km S of Mutsu, Japan
A magnitude 5.8 earthquake struck 32 km S of Mutsu, Japan on Tue, May 16, 1978, 5:23 PM JST (08:23 UTC), 23 km (14 mi) below the surface.
Map
Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.
The earthquake
- Magnitude
- 5.8 (mb), moderate
- Local time
- UTC
- 1978-05-16 08:23:58 UTC
- Depth
- 23.0 km (14.3 mi), shallow
- Epicenter
- 41.001° N, 141.259° E
- Region
- Japan
- Strongest shaking
- VI, strong 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
- VI, strong shaking
- Peak ground acceleration
- 20.2% of gravity
- Peak ground velocity
- 2.8 cm/s
- Map
- Automatic
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
- 282
Nearest places
Distance and direction from each place to the epicenter, with its forecast.
Nearby
Within 100 km, magnitude 2.5 and up: 3 in the 60 days after this one and 2 in the 30 days before it.
After
- 4.983 km E of Mutsu, Japan · 17653 days ago · 47 km deep · 81 km away
- 4.639 km ESE of Hakodate, Japan · 17651 days ago · 140 km deep · 74 km away
- 4.729 km S of Mutsu, Japan · 17607 days ago · 33 km deep · 4 km away
Before
Earthquakes todayJapan earthquakesLive radar here
Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp0000ujs (also filed as gcmtb051678b, gcmt19780516082358, iscgem682322, atlas19780516082358). Read Tue, Sep 22, 2026, 2:53 PM UTC.