March 9, 2011 Earthquake: Sanriku, Japan
A magnitude 6.5 earthquake struck Sanriku, Japan on March 9, 2011 at 21:24:01 UTC, 15 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
- March 9, 2011
- Time
- 21:24:01 UTC
- Place
- Sanriku, Japan
- Magnitude
- 6.5 (Mw)
- Focal depth
- 15 km (9 mi)
- Intensity
- 3 on the Modified Mercalli scale
- Tsunami
- Yes: the tsunami it caused
- Epicenter
- 38.296° N, 142.808° 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.
Felt (III) at Tokyo and (II) at Misawa. Felt widely in eastern Honshu. Recorded (4 JMA) in Miyagi. (reference #13456)
Other significant earthquakes nearby
Within 200 km, the deadliest first.
- June 15, 1896, Sanriku, Japan
- March 11, 2011, Honshu, Japan
- December 2, 1611, Sanriku, Japan
- March 2, 1933, Sanriku, Japan
- February 17, 1793, Sanriku,rikuzen,rikuchu, Japan
- December 6, 1616, Sanriku, Japan
- July 6, 1905, Off Fukushima, Japan
- June 12, 1978, Sanriku, Japan
- June 13, 2008, Tokyo, Honshu, Japan
- March 16, 2022, Off Fukushima, Japan
- April 7, 2011, Near E Coast Honshu, Japan
- October 2, 1678, Sanriku,rikuchu, Japan
- February 13, 2021, Off Fukushima, Japan
- November 5, 1938, Near E Coast Honshu, Japan
- April 30, 1962, Sendai, Honshu, Japan
More
Significant earthquakes of 2011The 2000sEvery quake the USGS located in 2011Recent 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 10754.