March 26, 1997 Earthquake: Kyushu, Kagoshima, Japan

Date

March 26, 1997

Time

08:31:47 UTC

Place

Kyushu, Kagoshima, Japan

Magnitude

6.1 (Mw)

Focal depth

10 km (6 mi)

Intensity

6 on the Modified Mercalli scale

Tsunami

None recorded

Epicenter

31.920° N, 130.429° E

Country

Japan

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.

• May 21, 1792, Kyusyu Island, JapanM6.4 · 15,030 deaths · 6,200 houses destroyed · 99 km
• June 30, 744, Shimabara, Yatsushiro, Higo, JapanM6.4 · 1,520 deaths · 470 houses destroyed · 54 km
• September 4, 1596, Beppu Bay, JapanM6.9 · 708 deaths · 80 houses destroyed · 194 km
• April 15, 2016, Kumamoto, Oita, JapanM7 · 273 deaths · $20 billion · 43,386 houses destroyed · 102 km
• October 30, 1662, Hiuganada, JapanM7.9 · 200 deaths · 2,500 houses destroyed · 150 km
• January 12, 1914, Sakurijima, JapanM7.1 · 63 deaths · $19 million · 2,268 houses destroyed · 44 km
• September 10, 1597, Beppu Bay, JapanM6.4 · 40 deaths · 189 km
• July 28, 2026, Kumamoto, JapanM6.8 · 38 deaths · 3,539 houses destroyed · 89 km
• December 7, 1922, Kyushu, Japan27 deaths · 88 km
• July 28, 1889, Kumamoto, JapanM6.3 · 20 deaths · 239 houses destroyed · 101 km
• August 6, 1984, Nobeoka, Kyushu, JapanM6.7 · 20 deaths · 152 km
• February 21, 1968, Kyushu, JapanM6.3 · 3 deaths · 18 km
• March 18, 1987, Miyazaki, Naze, Kyushu, JapanM6.7 · 2 deaths · 133 km
• February 26, 1961, Miyazaki, JapanM7.3 · 2 deaths · 170 houses destroyed · 134 km
• November 18, 1941, Shikoku, JapanM7.4 · 2 deaths · 27 houses destroyed · 158 km

Significant earthquakes of 1997The 1900sEvery quake the USGS located in 1997Recent earthquakes near hereThis day in weather history

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 5454.