December 2, 1996 Earthquake: Kyushu, Japan
A magnitude 6.7 earthquake struck Kyushu, Japan on December 2, 1996 at 22:17:59 UTC, 49 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
- December 2, 1996
- Time
- 22:17:59 UTC
- Place
- Kyushu, Japan
- Magnitude
- 6.7 (Mw)
- Focal depth
- 49 km (30 mi)
- Tsunami
- Yes: the tsunami it caused
- Epicenter
- 31.789° N, 131.314° E
- Country
- Japan
The toll
The record gives no deaths, injuries or damage for this earthquake.
What the record says
NCEI’s account, from the sources it cites.
1996 December 2, 22:17:59.2, 31.789 N, 131.314 E, depth 49 km, 6.0 mb, 6.6 Ms, 6.7 (GS), 6.7 (HRV). Felt (V JMA) in southern Miyazaki Prefecture. Felt from Fukuoka to Kagoshima. Local tsunami observed with maximum recorded wave heights (peak-to-trough) of 21 cm in the Nichinan-Aburatsu area and 4 cm in the Hyuga-Hososhima area. (reference #1053)
Other significant earthquakes nearby
Within 200 km, the deadliest first.
- May 21, 1792, Kyusyu Island, Japan
- June 30, 744, Shimabara, Yatsushiro, Higo, Japan
- September 4, 1596, Beppu Bay, Japan
- April 15, 2016, Kumamoto, Oita, Japan
- October 30, 1662, Hiuganada, Japan
- January 12, 1914, Sakurijima, Japan
- September 10, 1597, Beppu Bay, Japan
- July 28, 2026, Kumamoto, Japan
- December 7, 1922, Kyushu, Japan
- August 6, 1984, Nobeoka, Kyushu, Japan
- July 28, 1889, Kumamoto, Japan
- February 21, 1968, Kyushu, Japan
- February 26, 1961, Miyazaki, Japan
- March 18, 1987, Miyazaki, Naze, Kyushu, Japan
- November 18, 1941, Shikoku, Japan
More
Significant earthquakes of 1996The 1900sEvery quake the USGS located in 1996Recent 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 6501.