M4.9 earthquake 68 km NE of Miyako, Japan
A magnitude 4.9 earthquake struck 68 km NE of Miyako, Japan on Sun, Feb 22, 1981, 12:09 PM JST (03:09 UTC), 31 km (19 mi) below the surface.
A larger quake followed: M5.2 61 km ESE of Hachinohe, Japan. This one was a foreshock.
Map
Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.
The earthquake
- Magnitude
- 4.9 (mb), light
- Local time
- UTC
- 1981-02-22 03:09:46 UTC
- Depth
- 30.6 km (19.0 mi), shallow
- Epicenter
- 40.130° N, 142.447° 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.
Nearest places
Distance and direction from each place to the epicenter, with its forecast.
Nearby
Within 100 km, magnitude 1.9 and up: 4 in the 60 days after this one and 1 in the 30 days before it.
After
- 5.261 km ESE of Hachinohe, Japan · 16633 days ago · 52 km deep · 29 km away
- 4.795 km ENE of Miyako, Japan · 16624 days ago · 40 km deep · 57 km away
- 4.5112 km E of Miyako, Japan · 16609 days ago · 24 km deep · 74 km away
- 4.965 km ESE of Hachinohe, Japan · 16597 days ago · 52 km deep · 25 km away
Before
Earthquakes todayJapan earthquakesLive radar here
Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp0001cay. Read Tue, Sep 22, 2026, 8:10 AM UTC.