February 29, 1972 Earthquake: Hachijojima, Tokyo, S of Honshu, Japan
A magnitude 7.2 earthquake struck Hachijojima, Tokyo, S of Honshu, Japan on February 29, 1972 at 09:22:59 UTC, 56 km below the surface. It caused a tsunami.
Map
Where it struck, with the other significant earthquakes within 200 km. Circles are sized and colored by magnitude; select one for its page.
The earthquake
- Date
- February 29, 1972
- Time
- 09:22:59 UTC
- Place
- Hachijojima, Tokyo, S of Honshu, Japan
- Magnitude
- 7.2 (Ms)
- Focal depth
- 56 km (35 mi)
- Intensity
- 10 on the Modified Mercalli scale
- Tsunami
- Yes: the tsunami it caused
- Epicenter
- 33.300° N, 140.800° E
- Country
- Japan
The toll
- Damage
- Moderate (about $1 to $5 million)
Where the literature gives no number, NCEI records a description on a scale of 1 to 4, printed here in its words. Damage is in millions of US dollars of the year of the event, not adjusted for inflation.
What the record says
NCEI’s account, from the sources it cites.
Damage (VI JMA) [X MMI] on Hachijojima and in the Tokyo area. Tsunami was observed at Tateyama, Cape Shionomisaki and other places. (reference #1053)
Other significant earthquakes nearby
Within 200 km, the deadliest first.
- November 4, 1677, Off SE. Boso Peninsula, Japan
- December 27, 1936, Nii Jima, Japan
- November 25, 1953, Kashima, Japan
- July 1, 2000, Kozu-Shima, Near S Coast Honshu, Japan
- December 4, 1972, S of Honshu, Hachijojima, Japan
- April 21, 1916, Off East Coast Honshu, Japan
- September 18, 1984, Honshu Island, Japan
- January 19, 2005, East Coast Honshu, Japan
- August 11, 1992, S, Honshu, Japan
- October 3, 1983, Miyakejima, Oshima, Japan
- December 28, 1982, S. of Honshu Island, Japan
- July 30, 2000, S, Honshu, Japan
- March 12, 1909, Choshi, Japan
- March 13, 1909, Yokohama, Japan
- August 18, 1927, Kashima, Japan
More
Significant earthquakes of 1972The 1900sEvery quake the USGS located in 1972Recent earthquakes near hereThis day in weather history
Sources
Significant earthquakes from NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information, Global Historical Hazard Database, cited as NCEI/WDS, doi:10.7289/V5PN93H7. Public domain. Read 2026-09-24. NCEI earthquake 4595.