October 19, 1996 Earthquake: Kyushu Island, Japan
A magnitude 6.7 earthquake struck Kyushu Island, Japan on October 19, 1996 at 14:44:40 UTC, 22 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
- October 19, 1996
- Time
- 14:44:40 UTC
- Place
- Kyushu Island, Japan
- Magnitude
- 6.7 (Mw)
- Focal depth
- 22 km (14 mi)
- Tsunami
- Yes: the tsunami it caused
- Epicenter
- 31.885° N, 131.468° E
- Country
- Japan
The toll
- Damage
- Limited (under about $1 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.
Some damage (V JMA) at Kanoya and Miyazaki. Felt (IV JMA) at Kumamoto, Kurume and Oita. Tsunami generated with recorded wave heights of 110 cm at Miyazaki, 40 cm at Nichinan and 14 cm on Tanega-shima. Minor tsunami also observed on Shikoku. (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
- March 18, 1987, Miyazaki, Naze, Kyushu, Japan
- February 26, 1961, Miyazaki, 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 6607.