Latest Earthquake News: Japan, Hokkaido, and New Zealand – Updates on Seismic Activity

At around 11:28 on June 1 (Thursday), an earthquake estimated to have a magnitude of 4.3 and a depth of 11 km occurred with an epicenter near the Tokara Islands. This earthquake recorded a maximum seismic intensity of 4 at Nakanoshima in Toshima Village and a seismic intensity of 3 at Kuchinoshima.

An earthquake with a maximum seismic intensity of lower 5 occurred on May 13 in the waters near the Tokara Islands, and seismic activity continued after that. On the 1st, there was a slight increase in the number of felt earthquakes, and 12 were observed, including an earthquake with a seismic intensity of 3. Once every two days, the activity is in a lull.

There is still a possibility of an earthquake with strong shaking for a while, so please continue to be careful.

At around 7:35 p.m. on Saturday, June 3, an earthquake with an epicenter off the coast of Urakawa occurred with a magnitude of 5.1 and an estimated depth of about 60km. In this earthquake, tremors with a seismic intensity of 3 were observed in Hakodate City, Shinhidaka Town, Urakawa Town, and Urahoro Town, Hokkaido.

The mechanism of the earthquake was analyzed as a reverse fault type with a northwest-southeast pressure axis, and from the depth and mechanism of the epicenter, it is believed to have occurred near the boundary between the continental plate and the subducting Pacific plate.

Urakawa-oki is a region where large-scale earthquakes often occur. In 2016, it had a magnitude of 6.7 and a maximum seismic intensity of lower 5, and in 1982, a magnitude of 7.1 and a maximum seismic intensity of 6 (the seismic intensity scale at that time) occurred.

There has been one earthquake with a magnitude of 6 or higher according to US Geological Survey analysis. The largest was magnitude 6.3, which occurred southwest of New Zealand.

Around noon on May 31 (Wednesday) Japan time, an earthquake estimated to have a magnitude of 6.3 and a depth of about 9 km occurred with an epicenter in the southwestern waters of New Zealand. The earthquake mechanism is analyzed as strike-slip type.

The area around the epicenter of this quake hits the boundary between the Pacific plate and the Australian plate. Magnitude 6 class earthquakes occur frequently, and in 1989 there was a huge earthquake of magnitude 8.0. Since there are many strike-slip earthquakes, large tsunamis are unlikely to occur in spite of their scale.

*Information on earthquake sources and seismic intensity in Japan is from the Japan Meteorological Agency unless otherwise specified. Overseas epicenter information is from the United States Geological Survey (USGS) unless otherwise specified. There may be differences in hypocenter information depending on the publishing organization.