Significant earthquakes of 2004

December 6, 2004 Earthquake: Kushiro, Hokkaido, Japan

December 6, 2004 · M6.8

A magnitude 6.8 earthquake struck Kushiro, Hokkaido, Japan on December 6, 2004 at 14:15:11 UTC, 35 km below the surface.

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 6, 2004
Time
14:15:11 UTC
Place
Kushiro, Hokkaido, Japan
Magnitude
6.8 (Mw)
Focal depth
35 km (22 mi)
Tsunami
None recorded
Epicenter
42.900° N, 145.228° E
Country
Japan

The toll

Injuries
4

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.

At least 4 people

injured and power outages occurred in the Kushiro

area. Felt at Obihiro. Also felt at Misawa and Sendai,

Honshu. Felt (IV) at Yuzhno-Kuril'sk, Kunashir and

(III) on Shikotan and at Kuril'sk, Iturup. (reference #1053)

Other significant earthquakes nearby

Within 200 km, the deadliest first.

More

Significant earthquakes of 2004The 2000sEvery quake the USGS located in 2004Recent 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 5833.