Home » Special Events » Magnitude 6.5 earthquake off the east coast of Honshu, Japan

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last updated: 12/23/08 04:37.22 (PST)

On Saturday December 20 2008 at 2:29 AM (PST) the USArray seismic network recorded an earthquake (preliminary Mw 6.5) located off the east coast of Honshu.

Initial source parameters for this tremor are indicated below. The epicentral distance (i.e. distance separating the epicenter and the closest station in the recording network, A05A) for the USArray is 7415 km (66.71 degrees).

If you felt the quake, the USGS would like to know. Please add your comments to the USGS page "Did you feel it?".

Summary

Global map view
Solution Parameters
Local Date:Saturday December 20, 2008
Local Time: 2:29 AM PST
Universal Time:12/20/08 (355) 10:29.22 UTC
Magnitude:6.5 Mw
Latitude:36.6030
Longitude:142.3560
Depth:10 km
Author:QED
Authoritative:yes

Proximity to Population Centers

  • 140 km (85 miles) ESE of Iwaki, Honshu, Japan
  • 170 km (105 miles) E of Mito, Honshu, Japan
  • 210 km (130 miles) SE of Fukushima, Honshu, Japan
  • 255 km (160 miles) ENE of Tokyo, Japan

Maps

Mercator projection regional view

The red star denotes the earthquake epicenter. Triangle symbols are active stations at the time of the earthquake in the USArray (excluding ANSS backbone stations and GSN stations, which are represented by a diamond symbol) and colored by network. Gray lines are major rivers.

Regional map view
Network Legend
 Transportable Array (TA)
 UC San Diego (AZ)
 CalTech (CI)
 UN Reno (NN)
 Uni. Utah (UU)
 ANSS backbone stations (US)
 Global Seismograph Network (IU)

Regional satellite view

The red marker denotes the earthquake epicenter.

Detailed terrain view

The red marker denotes the earthquake epicenter.

Current seismic activity measured by USArray

Click the links below to observe near real time maps of earthquakes recorded by the USArray deployment:

Further information

Learn more about the Array Network Facility (ANF) component of USArray, the USArray experiment, the EarthScope project, and the Incorporated Research Institutions for Seismology (IRIS).