March 24, 2001 Earthquake: Hiroshima, Okayama, Honshu, Kagama, Japan
A magnitude 6.8 earthquake struck Hiroshima, Okayama, Honshu, Kagama, Japan on March 24, 2001 at 06:27:53 UTC, 50 km below the surface. It killed 2 people.
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
- March 24, 2001
- Time
- 06:27:53 UTC
- Place
- Hiroshima, Okayama, Honshu, Kagama, Japan
- Magnitude
- 6.8 (Mw)
- Focal depth
- 50 km (31 mi)
- Intensity
- 9 on the Modified Mercalli scale
- Tsunami
- None recorded
- Epicenter
- 34.083° N, 132.526° E
- Country
- Japan
The toll
- Deaths
- 2
- Injuries
- 161
- Damage
- $500 million
- Houses damaged
- 3,700
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.
Two people killed, 161 injured and about 3,700 buildings damaged or destroyed in the Hiroshima area. Main water lines broken and railroad tracks damaged in the epicentral area. Felt throughout western Japan from the Kyoto area to Kyushu. Also felt in South Korea. Recorded (5U JMA) in Hiroshima and
Okayama Prefectures. Also recorded (5U JMA) on Shodo-shima and in Kagawa Prefecture; (5L JMA) in Ehime and Kochi Prefectures, Shikoku. (reference #1053)
$500 million damage. (reference #1250)
Other significant earthquakes nearby
Within 200 km, the deadliest first.
- September 10, 1943, S, Honshu, Japan
- June 16, 1026, Off Masuda, Shimane Prefecture, Japan
- December 20, 1711, Seionaikai, Japan
- March 14, 1872, SW, Honshu, Japan
- September 4, 1596, Beppu Bay, Japan
- September 10, 1597, Beppu Bay, Japan
- August 6, 1984, Nobeoka, Kyushu, Japan
- June 2, 1905, Aki, Japan
- July 12, 1676, Tuwano, Japan
- March 19, 1711, Mimasaka, Japan
- April 1, 1968, Kyushu, Shikoku, Japan
- March 13, 2014, Southwestern, Japan
- August 5, 1968, Seikaido-Nankaido, Japan
- June 3, 1978, Hiroshima, S Honshu, Japan
- December 22, 1698, Seikaido-Nankaido, Japan
More
Significant earthquakes of 2001The 2000sEvery quake the USGS located in 2001Recent 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 5596.