M4.6 earthquake 16 km W of Mutsu, Japan
A magnitude 4.6 earthquake struck 16 km W of Mutsu, Japan on Mon, Aug 20, 1979, 7:40 PM JST (10:40 UTC), 112 km (70 mi) below the surface.
A larger quake followed: M5.1 65 km ENE of Mutsu, 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, body-wave), light
- Magnitude from
- USGS National Earthquake Information Center
- Local time
- UTC
- 1979-08-20 10:40:37 UTC
- Depth
- 112.0 km (69.6 mi), intermediate-depth
- Epicenter
- 41.277° N, 141.021° 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
- 32
Nearest places
Distance and direction from each place to the epicenter, with its forecast.
Nearby
Within 100 km, magnitude 1.6 and up: 2 in the 60 days after this one and 1 in the 30 days before it.
After
- 5.165 km ENE of Mutsu, Japan · 17169 days ago · 74 km deep · 82 km away
- 4.245 km NE of Mutsu, Japan · 17160 days ago · 125 km deep · 59 km away
Before
Earthquakes todayJapan earthquakesLive radar here
Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp00012hj. Read Fri, Oct 2, 2026, 5:43 PM UTC.