Updated: Wed, Mar 16, 2022 16:14 GMT –
I felt this quake
Major magnitude 7.3 earthquake at 63 km depth
16 Mar 14:42 UTC: First to report: VolcanoDiscovery after 6 minutes.
16 Mar 14:46: Now using data updates from GFZ
16 Mar 14:56: Hypocenter depth recalculated from 33.0 to 63.1 km (from 21 to 39 mi). Epicenter location corrected by 9.9 km (6.2 mi) towards W.
Update Wed, 16 Mar 2022, 14:54
Very strong magnitude 7.3 earthquake 96 km southeast of Sendai, Japan
7.3 quake 16 Mar 11:36 pm (GMT +9)
Japan was shaken near Sendai, Sendai Shi, Honshu-miyagi-ken, by an earthquake of magnitude 7.3 only 18 minutes ago, the United States Geological Survey reported.
The quake hit at a moderately shallow depth of 33 km beneath the epicenter near Sendai, Sendai Shi, Honshu-miyagi-ken, Japan, late at night on Wednesday, March 16th, 2022, at 11:36 pm local time. The exact magnitude, epicenter, and depth of the quake might be revised within the next few hours or minutes as seismologists review data and refine their calculations, or as other agencies issue their report.
Our monitoring service identified a second report from the Institute of Geophysics of the National Polytechnic School in Quito (IGEPN) which listed the quake at magnitude 7.5. Other agencies reporting the same quake include the German Research Centre for Geosciences (GFZ) at magnitude 7.4, Geoscience Australia (GeoAu) at magnitude 7.3, France’s Réseau National de Surveillance Sismique (RéNaSS) at magnitude 7.0, the citizen-seismograph network of RaspberryShake at magnitude 7.4, and the European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC) at magnitude 7.2.
Generally quakes of this magnitude are recorded by more than one agency and the results can vary, with subsequent reports that come in after the first one often showing more accuracy.
Based on the preliminary seismic data, the quake should have been felt by everybody in the area of the epicenter. In those areas, dangerous ground shaking occurred with the potential to inflict moderate to heavy damage to buildings and other infrastructure.
Towns or cities where the quake likely caused strong ground shaking include
Moderate shaking probably occurred in Watari (pop. 36,300) located 83 km from the epicenter, Iwanuma (pop. 42,400) 86 km away, Kakuda (pop. 33,200) 87 km away, Ishinomaki (pop. 117,200) 87 km away, Schiogama (pop. 59,500) 90 km away, Rifu (pop. 35,000) 95 km away, and Sendai (pop. 1,063,100) 96 km away.
VolcanoDiscovery will automatically update magnitude and depth if these change and follow up if other significant news about the quake become available. If you’re in the area, please send us your experience through our reporting mechanism, either online or via our mobile app. This will help us provide more first-hand updates to anyone around the globe who wants to know more about this quake.
If you were or still are in this area during the quake help others with your feedback and report it here.
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Earthquake data
I felt this quake
I didn’t feel it
Date & time: Mar 16, 2022 14:36:33 UTC –
Local time at epicenter: Wednesday, Mar 16, 2022 at 11:36 pm (GMT +9)
Magnitude: 7.3
Depth: 63.1 km
Epicenter latitude / longitude: 37.7015°N / 141.587°E 
(North Pacific Ocean, Japan)
Antipode: 37.702°S / 38.413°W
Nearest volcano: Zao (112 km / 70 mi)
Nearby towns and cities:
57 km (36 mi) ENE of Namie (Futaba-gun) (pop: 21,900) –> See nearby quakes!
75 km (46 mi) ESE of Watari (pop: 36,300) –> See nearby quakes!
78 km (48 mi) SE of Iwanuma (pop: 42,400) –> See nearby quakes!
83 km (52 mi) SSE of Ishinomaki (pop: 117,200) –> See nearby quakes!
84 km (52 mi) SE of Schiogama (pop: 59,500) –> See nearby quakes!
89 km (55 mi) SE of Sendai (pop: 1,063,100) –> See nearby quakes!
95 km (59 mi) NE of Iwaki (pop: 357,300) –> See nearby quakes!
99 km (61 mi) E of Fukushima (pop: 294,200) –> See nearby quakes!
263 km (164 mi) NE of Saitama (pop: 1,193,400) –> See nearby quakes!
280 km (174 mi) NE of Tokyo (pop: 8,336,600) –> See nearby quakes!
68 km (42 mi) SSE of Tashiro Jima Island (pop: 100) –> See nearby quakes!
371 km (231 mi) ENE of Honshu Island (pop: 104,000,000) –> See nearby quakes!
Weather at epicenter at time of quake:
Broken Clouds 
9.3°C (49 F), humidity: 86%, wind: 6 m/s (12 kts) from NW
Primary data source: USGS (United States Geological Survey)
Estimated released energy: 5.6 x 1015 joules (1562 gigawatt hours, equivalent to 1.3 x 106 tons of TNT or 84 atomic bombs!) | about seismic energy
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Data for the same earthquake reported by different agencies
Info: The more agencies report about the same quake and post similar data, the more confidence you can have in the data. It takes normally up to a few hours until earthquake parameters are calculated with near-optimum precision.
| Mag. | Depth | Location | Source |
| 7.3 | 63 km | 57 Km ENE of Namie, Japan | USGS |
| 7.3 | 49 km | NEAR EAST COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN | EMSC |
| 7.3 | 63 km | Near East Coast of Honshu, Japan | RaspberryShake |
| 7.0 | 74 km | Japan: Near Sendai | RENASS |
| 7.3 | 70 km | Near East Coast of Honshu, Japan | GeoAu |
| 7.3 | 50 km | 66 Km ENE of Namie, Japan | GFZ |
| 7.4 | 82 km | Near East Coast of Eastern Honshu, Japan [Sea: Japan] | INGV |
User reports for this quake (87)
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setagaya-ku (289 km SW of epicenter) [Map] / Strong shaking (MMI VI) / complex motion difficult to describe / 1-2 minutes : Small shaking for 10-15 seconds. break for about 1 minute. more shaking which increased in intensity for more than 1 minute, accompanied by a long moaning sound. Seemed to shift in direction & intensity a few times. | 9 users found this interesting.
Tokyo (295.3 km SW of epicenter) [Map] / Strong shaking (MMI VI) / both vertical and horizontal swinging / 30-60 s : was shaking all of a sudden in Tokyo (Setagaya), very strong. Coupe of things fell, was moving sideway and up and down. very noisy. The strongest I felt in 2 years in Tokyo. | 5 users found this interesting.
Hachinohe / Very strong shaking (MMI VII) / 10-15 s : I am in hachinohe port in vessel TOLMI. Also we felt the earthquake very very much, even if we at are at sea. | 4 users found this interesting.
Yamato, Kanagawa / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 30-60 s : I was woken up by horizontal movement and jingling of hanging keys. The cats, one of which was sleeping on my bed, did not wake up. | 4 users found this interesting.
Chōfu, Tokyo (297.9 km SW of epicenter) [Map] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 15-20 s : In bed sleeping, room started shaking and lasted long enough for me to get out of bed and seek safety | 3 users found this interesting.
Yokosuka, Kanagawa (319.3 km SSW of epicenter) [Map] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / several minutes : Woke me up from my sleep, come to find out my apartment building shaking and hearing the floors and walls creak | 2 users found this interesting.
Misawa, Japan / Strong shaking (MMI VI) / vibration and rolling / 30-60 s : Lasted very long. Shaking and rolling. | 3 users found this interesting.
Sendai, Miyagi (82 km NW of epicenter) [Map] / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 30-60 s : Heavy shaking, very scary. Apartment a mess | 2 users found this interesting.
Yokosuka (317.3 km SSW of epicenter) [Map] / Weak shaking (MMI III) : Almost made me consider to run. My dear cat steal not out for fear… | 2 users found this interesting. (reported through our app)
Minamirinkan, Yamato-shi, Kanagawa (315.1 km SW of epicenter) [Map] / Weak shaking (MMI III) : I was about to sleep then I noticed a very weak shaking after a minute it got stronger and stronger | 2 users found this interesting.
Misawa AB (332.1 km N of epicenter) [Map] / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 1-2 minutes : Light to Moderate shaking. Kitchen cabinets opened. | One user found this interesting.
Kamakura (324.4 km SW of epicenter) [Map] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / both vertical and horizontal swinging / 1-2 minutes : Sleeping upstairs in a bed. Woke up to a low rumbling sound and shaking. | One user found this interesting.
Zushi, Kanagawa (314.2 km SW of epicenter) [Map] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / several minutes : The first 2 min it was little shake, after that morrintense. More than 5min | One user found this interesting. (reported through our app)
Niigata Japan / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / several minutes : The street light outside was shaking back and forth and I felt dizzy the whole time. | One user found this interesting.
Isehara shi kanagawa ken / Strong shaking (MMI VI) / rattling, vibrating / 30-60 s : Nervous | One user found this interesting.
Tokyo / Strong shaking (MMI VI) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 30-60 s : Started slowly, then stopped, then very strong shaking. Household items fell down | One user found this interesting.
Misawa AFB (337.4 km N of epicenter) [Map] / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 1-2 minutes
Oroshimachi sendai (84.7 km NW of epicenter) [Map] / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 20-30 s
Sagamihara (309.8 km SW of epicenter) [Map] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / complex rolling (tilting in multiple directions) / 1-2 minutes
Miura, Kanagawa (327.8 km SSW of epicenter) [Map] / Strong shaking (MMI VI) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 30-60 s : that was intense!
Narita, Chiba (241.7 km SSW of epicenter) [Map] / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 20-30 s
Minato-Ku, Tokyo (338.1 km SSW of epicenter) [Map] / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / complex rolling (tilting in multiple directions) / 1-2 minutes
Minamirinkan, Yamato-shi, Kanagawa (313.6 km SW of epicenter) [Map] / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / complex rolling (tilting in multiple directions) / 30-60 s
Chino, Nagano (359.5 km WSW of epicenter) [Map] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / both vertical and horizontal swinging / 30-60 s : The light shaking persisted for a long time, perhaps more than a minute.
Atsugi (315 km SW of epicenter) [Map] / not felt / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 15-20 s : Long
Yuzhno-Kurilsk, Sakhalin Oblast (784.7 km NNE of epicenter) [Map] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / vibration and rolling / 1-2 minutes : Лёгкая тряска
Nagoya, Chikusa-ku (500.7 km SW of epicenter) [Map] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / 5-10 s : I didn’t feel shaking of ground or so, but I felt dizziness.
Tokyo (284.5 km SW of epicenter) [Map] / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / both vertical and horizontal swinging / several minutes
Tokyo (278.4 km SW of epicenter) [Map] / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 1-2 minutes : I Felt it! M in Ginza. My 12 store building was shaking a lot for around a minute.
Myoko City (314.6 km WSW of epicenter) [Map] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 20-30 s
Rusutsu (562.9 km N of epicenter) [Map] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 30-60 s
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Aftershocks
[More info]
Recorded aftershocks, latest first (20 quakes) (so far, frequently updated)
| Mar 16, 2022 16:06 8 minutes ago |
4.1 53 km |
Japan: SE OFF MIYAGI PREF | More |
| Mar 16, 2022 16:04 10 minutes ago |
2.6 29 km |
16 km SE of Furukawa, Ōsaki Shi, Honshu-miyagi-ken, Japan | More |
| Mar 16, 2022 16:00 14 minutes ago |
3.2 55 km |
North Pacific Ocean, 92 km SE of Sendai, Honshu-miyagi-ken, Japan | More |
| Mar 16, 2022 15:52 22 minutes ago |
5.5 67 km |
North Pacific Ocean, 98 km SE of Sendai, Honshu-miyagi-ken, Japan | More |
| Mar 16, 2022 15:50 24 minutes ago |
3.6 49 km |
North Pacific Ocean, 89 km SE of Sendai, Honshu-miyagi-ken, Japan | More |
| Mar 16, 2022 15:45 28 minutes ago |
2.9 56 km |
North Pacific Ocean, 83 km E of Namie, Futaba-gun, Fukushima, Japan | More |
| Mar 16, 2022 15:42 32 minutes ago |
3.6 45 km |
North Pacific Ocean, 93 km SE of Ishinomaki, Honshu-miyagi-ken, Japan | More |
| Mar 16, 2022 15:37 37 minutes ago |
3.8 47 km |
North Pacific Ocean, 93 km SE of Sendai, Honshu-miyagi-ken, Japan | More |
| Mar 16, 2022 15:33 41 minutes ago |
4.1 47 km |
North Pacific Ocean, 65 km NE of Namie, Futaba-gun, Fukushima, Japan | More |
| Mar 16, 2022 15:30 44 minutes ago |
4.0 52 km |
North Pacific Ocean, 66 km E of Namie, Futaba-gun, Fukushima, Japan | More |
| Mar 16, 2022 15:28 46 minutes ago |
3.3 52 km |
North Pacific Ocean, 92 km SE of Sendai, Honshu-miyagi-ken, Japan | More |
| Mar 16, 2022 15:28 46 minutes ago |
3.9 40 km |
North Pacific Ocean, 96 km SE of Sendai, Honshu-miyagi-ken, Japan | More |
| Mar 16, 2022 15:25 49 minutes ago |
3.8 53 km |
North Pacific Ocean, 87 km SE of Sendai, Honshu-miyagi-ken, Japan | More |
| Mar 16, 2022 15:19 55 minutes ago |
3.4 50 km |
North Pacific Ocean, 92 km SE of Ishinomaki, Honshu-miyagi-ken, Japan | More |
| Mar 16, 2022 15:13 1 hour and 1 minutes ago |
3.9 39 km |
North Pacific Ocean, 92 km SE of Sendai, Honshu-miyagi-ken, Japan | More |
| Mar 16, 2022 15:08 1 hour and 5 minutes ago |
3.8 53 km |
North Pacific Ocean, 95 km SE of Sendai, Honshu-miyagi-ken, Japan | More |
| Mar 16, 2022 15:04 1 hour and 10 minutes ago – felt |
3.6 63 km |
North Pacific Ocean, 49 km NE of Namie, Futaba-gun, Fukushima, Japan | More |
| Mar 16, 2022 15:01 1 hour and 13 minutes ago |
4.1 56 km |
North Pacific Ocean, 91 km SE of Ishinomaki, Honshu-miyagi-ken, Japan | More |
| Mar 16, 2022 14:49 1 hour and 25 minutes ago – felt |
4.6 54 km |
North Pacific Ocean, 88 km SE of Ishinomaki, Honshu-miyagi-ken, Japan | More |
| Mar 16, 2022 14:45 1 hour and 28 minutes ago – felt |
5.0 55 km |
North Pacific Ocean, 95 km SE of Sendai, Honshu-miyagi-ken, Japan | More |
Earlier earthquakes in the same area
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