M6.5 earthquake in Japan on March 26, 2026

A magnitude 6.5 earthquake struck on March 26, 2026 at 14:18 UTC. According to USGS the epicenter was 123 km east of Yamada, at a depth of 16 km. It was a shallow quake, and shallow quakes are usually felt most strongly at the surface.

6.5magnitude
16 kmdepth
14:18time UTC
greenUSGS alert
Live earthquake map →

Key facts

8 people reported feeling it to USGS. The USGS PAGER system issued a green alert, expecting little impact.

Nearest cities

  • Ōshū (Japan)193 km
  • Ichinoseki (Japan)202 km
  • Ishinomaki (Japan)213 km
  • Ōsaki (Japan)229 km
  • Hirosaki (Japan)279 km

Did you feel an earthquake?

Report it to seismologists. These reports help work out quickly where the shaking was strongest. It takes a minute.

Report to USGS (Did You Feel It?)Report to EMSC (LastQuake)

Aftershocks

Since then USGS has recorded 88 quakes of magnitude 4.5 or more within 150 km, the strongest M7.4.

  • M7.4 · Apr 20, 07:52 UTC65 km
  • M6.9 · Jun 24, 22:30 UTC137 km
  • M6.7 · May 15, 11:22 UTC119 km
  • M6.0 · Jul 1, 12:08 UTC118 km
  • M6.0 · Apr 20, 07:56 UTC44 km
  • M5.8 · Jun 27, 20:21 UTC122 km
  • M5.6 · Aug 26, 19:21 UTC142 km
  • M5.5 · Aug 8, 17:57 UTC122 km

Regional history

Since 1976 there have been 190 earthquakes of magnitude 6 or more within 300 km. The strongest was M9.1 (March 11, 2011).

  • M9.1 · March 11, 2011154 km
  • M8.2 · September 25, 2003268 km
  • M7.8 · December 28, 1994121 km
  • M7.7 · June 12, 1978182 km
  • M7.7 · March 11, 2011186 km

See also

Live earthquake mapAll earthquakes todayEarthquakes in JapanWeather in ŌshūEvent details at USGS

Source: USGS Earthquake Hazards Program (public domain). Seismologists may still revise the data. Data from Aug 21, 23:38 UTC.