Japan earthquakes

M5.8 earthquake 126 km ESE of ?funato, Japan

A magnitude 5.8 earthquake struck 126 km ESE of ?funato, Japan on Sun, Jan 18, 1981, 6:43 PM JST (09:43 UTC), 33 km (21 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M5.9 126 km ESE of ?funato, Japan. This one was a foreshock.

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Map

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

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The earthquake

Magnitude
5.8 (ms), moderate
Local time
UTC
1981-01-18 09:43:35 UTC
Depth
33.0 km (20.5 mi), shallow
Epicenter
38.489° N, 142.972° 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.

Depth from
OPERATOR_ASSIGNED
Stations used
184

Nearest places

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

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 2.5 and up: 28 in the 60 days after this one and 2 in the 30 days before it.

After

  1. 5.9126 km ESE of ?funato, Japan · 16683 days ago · 33 km deep · 2 km away
  2. 5.3129 km ESE of ?funato, Japan · 16683 days ago · 33 km deep · 10 km away
  3. 5.4118 km ESE of ?funato, Japan · 16683 days ago · 39 km deep · 8 km away
  4. 6.2110 km ESE of ?funato, Japan · 16683 days ago · 33 km deep · 17 km away
  5. 6.9101 km ESE of ?funato, Japan · 16683 days ago · 33 km deep · 26 km away
  6. 5.0103 km ESE of ?funato, Japan · 16683 days ago · 33 km deep · 25 km away
  7. 5.179 km ESE of ?funato, Japan · 16683 days ago · 33 km deep · 47 km away
  8. 4.8132 km SE of Kamaishi, Japan · 16683 days ago · 33 km deep · 19 km away
  9. 4.9158 km ESE of ?funato, Japan · 16682 days ago · 33 km deep · 32 km away
  10. 6.1113 km ESE of ?funato, Japan · 16682 days ago · 33 km deep · 15 km away
  11. 4.5140 km ESE of ?funato, Japan · 16682 days ago · 33 km deep · 15 km away
  12. 5.4119 km SE of Kamaishi, Japan · 16682 days ago · 33 km deep · 19 km away
  13. 5.2118 km SE of ?funato, Japan · 16682 days ago · 33 km deep · 18 km away
  14. 4.7146 km ESE of ?funato, Japan · 16681 days ago · 33 km deep · 20 km away
  15. 4.7158 km SE of Kamaishi, Japan · 16681 days ago · 33 km deep · 35 km away
  16. 4.5109 km ESE of Kamaishi, Japan · 16681 days ago · 33 km deep · 40 km away
  17. 5.1129 km SE of Kamaishi, Japan · 16679 days ago · 32 km deep · 20 km away
  18. 4.7123 km ESE of Kamaishi, Japan · 16679 days ago · 33 km deep · 23 km away
  19. 6.4122 km E of Ishinomaki, Japan · 16679 days ago · 20 km deep · 40 km away
  20. 5.9132 km ESE of Ishinomaki, Japan · 16678 days ago · 33 km deep · 42 km away
  21. 4.555 km ESE of Kamaishi, Japan · 16676 days ago · 54 km deep · 75 km away
  22. 4.2107 km E of Ishinomaki, Japan · 16675 days ago · 89 km deep · 46 km away
  23. 4.4166 km ESE of ?funato, Japan · 16674 days ago · 33 km deep · 40 km away
  24. 5.7127 km ESE of Yamada, Japan · 16647 days ago · 33 km deep · 73 km away
  25. 4.7132 km ESE of Yamada, Japan · 16647 days ago · 29 km deep · 81 km away
  26. 5.7121 km ESE of ?funato, Japan · 16646 days ago · 33 km deep · 7 km away
  27. 5.0147 km SE of ?funato, Japan · 16645 days ago · 17 km deep · 22 km away
  28. 4.780 km ESE of ?funato, Japan · 16638 days ago · 55 km deep · 47 km away

Before

  1. 3.676 km E of Yamada, Japan · 16683 days ago · 70 km deep · 100 km away
  2. 5.049 km SSE of ?funato, Japan · 16690 days ago · 69 km deep · 88 km away

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Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp0001bsf (also filed as gcmtb011881b, gcmt19810118094335, iscgem632829). Read Tue, Sep 22, 2026, 9:32 AM UTC.