M4.9 earthquake 65 km SE of Nemuro, Japan
A magnitude 4.9 earthquake struck 65 km SE of Nemuro, Japan on Tue, Jul 21, 1981, 8:18 AM JST (23:18 UTC), 33 km (21 mi) below the surface.
A larger quake followed: M5.7 48 km SSW of Shikotan, Russia. 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
- 1981-07-20 23:18:38 UTC
- Depth
- 33.0 km (20.5 mi), shallow
- Epicenter
- 42.867° N, 146.075° 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
Nearest places
Distance and direction from each place to the epicenter, with its forecast.
Nearby
Within 100 km, magnitude 1.9 and up: 2 in the 60 days after this one and 1 in the 30 days before it.
After
- 4.7101 km SE of Kushiro, Japan · 16456 days ago · 52 km deep · 87 km away
- 5.748 km SSW of Shikotan, Russia · 16450 days ago · 46 km deep · 68 km away
Before
Earthquakes todayJapan earthquakesLive radar here
Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp0001eu9. Read Tue, Sep 22, 2026, 10:29 PM UTC.