Japan earthquakes

M4.9 earthquake 12 km NNE of Kitahama, Japan

A magnitude 4.9 earthquake struck 12 km NNE of Kitahama, Japan on Tue, Oct 16, 1979, 7:45 AM JST (22:45 UTC), 40 km (25 mi) below the surface.

Kitahama forecastMore in Japan

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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
4.9 (mb, body-wave), light
Magnitude from
USGS National Earthquake Information Center
Local time
UTC
1979-10-15 22:45:59 UTC
Depth
40.0 km (24.9 mi), shallow
Epicenter
35.275° N, 135.966° E
Region
Japan
Tsunami flag
No
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

Magnitude estimates

Different scales measure different things and differ by a few tenths. The USGS marks one as preferred, and it is the one this page uses.

Mag.ScaleComputed byNotes
4.9mb, body-waveUSGS National Earthquake Information CenterPreferred · Reviewed
5.17Mw, momentISC-GEM global catalogFinal · ±0.28

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
36

Nearest places

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

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 1.9 and up: 0 in the 60 days after this one and 0 in the 30 days before it.

None recorded.

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Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp00013ed (also filed as iscgem657280). Read Mon, Oct 5, 2026, 2:41 PM UTC.