Dangerous M 6.1 coastal earthquake strikes close to Tokyo

Created March 14, 2012 Last update March 23, 2012 16:53 By

Earthquake overview : A dangerous earthquake has struck close to Tokyo (90km). It had a M5.7 and was shallow in depth. The earthquake will be as strongly felt in some parts of Japan as the M9.0 earthquake from March 11th, 2011.
"I have Felt it" Reports --> see below + Let us know "how you have felt this earthquake"
To read the full story as it happened, we advise our readers to start at the lower part of the page (earthquake data).
Check also our Japan-only earthquake list

Keep this page open or return regularly as we will be back with more details when they become available

A dangerous earthquake has struck close to Tokyo (90km). It had a M5.7 and was shallow in depth. The earthquake will be as strongly felt in some parts of Japan as the M9.0 earthquake from March 11th, 2011.

UPDATE 15/03: - 1 person has died in Funabashi City, Chiba.
-1 person has been reported injured in Kisarazu.
-Cracks appeared in many walls.
-Shattered glass was also reported in many areas.
-A full damage assessment is currently being collected -

Three buildings in the city of Choshi:, Chiba Prefecture have been partially damaged.
4 non-dwelling buildings were partially damaged in Katori City as well as one house partially destroyed, Chiba Prefecture
3 concrete walls have also collapsed in Choshi, Chiba Prefecture. A stone wall also collapsed.

-This event has been updated to CATDAT Red.

UPDATE: - No damage has as yet been reported from Chiba and Ibaraki - this is good news considering the shaking. FDMA is reporting no injuries or emergencies as yet.

Intensities from JMA - www.jma.go.jp

Expected intensities from JMA (courtesy JMA - jma.go.jp)

The towns of Asahi and Hasaki can expect some damage. Minor liquefaction may occur in some locations in Chiba.

JMA is expecting an intensity 5+ (approx. MMI 7-8) in the provinces close to the epicenter.

The fire and department agency has not yet released any details.

The epicenter was east of the coast off of Chiba Prefecture. Intensity 5 upper - Kamisu, Ibaraki Prefecture, Chiba Prefecture and Choshi

Intensity 5 lower - Hitachi City, Ibaraki Prefecture and Asahi City, Chiba Prefecture

Intensity 4 - Chuo-ku, Chiba and Mito, Moka, Tochigi Prefecture, the town Miyashiro, Saitama Prefecture, Tokyo.

Intensity 3 - Tamagawa, Fukushima Prefecture Besides, Shinagawa and Chuo-ku, Tokyo (some), Naka-ku, Yokohama-shi, Kanagawa, Minamiuonuma, Niigata Prefecture.

 

Earthquake-Report.com GOOGLE+ / Earthquake-Report.com FACEBOOK
"I Have Felt It" reports as received by Earthquake-Report.com
See below for all the received Earthquake Experience reports as received by earthquake-report.com

Most important Earthquake Data:
Magnitude : M5.7 (USGS), M6.1 (JMA)
UTC Time : Wednesday, March 14, 2012 at 12:05:05 UTC
Local time at epicenter : Wednesday, March 14, 2012 at 21:05:05 LT
Depth (Hypocenter) : 16.9km (USGS), 10km (JMA)
Geo-location(s) : 76 km (47 miles) SSE of Mito, Honshu, Japan
90 km (55 miles) E of TOKYO, Japan

Links to important maps
USGS Did You Feel It Map
Google satellite map showing the epicenter and the surrounding area
Historic earthquakes map
Seismic hazard map
Shaking map
Focal mechanism report
Human impact map
GDACS earthquake report

I Have Felt this earthquake

Refresh this list
SRC Location UTC Date/time M D INFO
USGS Off The East Coast Of Honshu, Japan Mar 14 23:01 4.6 27 MAP
GEOFON Off East Coast Of Honshu, Japan Mar 14 23:01 4.6 10 MAP
EMSC Off East Coast Of Honshu, Japan Mar 14 23:01 4.7 2 MAP
USGS Near The East Coast Of Honshu, Japan Mar 14 21:38 5.2 34 MAP
GEOFON Near East Coast Of Honshu, Japan Mar 14 21:38 5.5 32 MAP
EMSC Near East Coast Of Honshu, Japan Mar 14 21:38 5.3 10 MAP
GEOFON Off East Coast Of Honshu, Japan Mar 14 19:55 4.6 10 MAP
EMSC Off East Coast Of Honshu, Japan Mar 14 19:55 4.7 2 MAP
GEOFON Off East Coast Of Honshu, Japan Mar 14 17:26 4.6 10 MAP
EMSC Off East Coast Of Honshu, Japan Mar 14 17:26 4.7 2 MAP
GEOFON Hokkaido, Japan Region Mar 14 14:54 4.7 10 MAP
EMSC Off East Coast Of Honshu, Japan Mar 14 14:54 4.8 5 MAP
USGS Off The East Coast Of Honshu, Japan Mar 14 14:54 4.6 7 MAP
USGS Off The East Coast Of Honshu, Japan Mar 14 14:04 4.6 8 MAP
EMSC Off East Coast Of Honshu, Japan Mar 14 14:04 4.6 9 MAP
GEOFON Off East Coast Of Honshu, Japan Mar 14 13:43 5.0 10 MAP
USGS Off The East Coast Of Honshu, Japan Mar 14 13:43 4.9 10 MAP
EMSC Hokkaido, Japan Region Mar 14 13:43 5.0 5 MAP
GEOFON Near East Coast Of Honshu, Japan Mar 14 12:05 6.0 10 MAP
USGS Near The East Coast Of Honshu, Japan Mar 14 12:05 5.7 16 MAP
EMSC Near East Coast Of Honshu, Japan Mar 14 12:05 5.7 10 MAP
  • Mito - 5th floor of building
    		•
    GEOFON Near East Coast Of Honshu, Japan Mar 14 12:05 5.7 10 MAP
  • Tokyo, Japan - On 10th floor of Royal Park Hotel in Tokyo
  • Mito - Moderate shaking indicated
  • Tokyo - Stronger than usual
  • Fuchu Tokyo - Light shaking indicated
  • Tokyo - was not too bad at first but then got worse
    		•
    USGS Off The East Coast Of Honshu, Japan Mar 14 11:40 5.4 22 MAP
    GEOFON Hokkaido, Japan Region Mar 14 11:40 5.5 10 MAP
    EMSC Off East Coast Of Honshu, Japan Mar 14 11:40 5.5 10 MAP
    GEOFON Off East Coast Of Honshu, Japan Mar 14 11:40 5.7 10 MAP
    USGS Off The East Coast Of Honshu, Japan Mar 14 10:57 5.7 21 MAP
    GEOFON Off East Coast Of Honshu, Japan Mar 14 10:57 5.9 10 MAP
    EMSC Off East Coast Of Honshu, Japan Mar 14 10:57 5.8 10 MAP
    GEOFON Off East Coast Of Honshu, Japan Mar 14 10:49 6.0 10 MAP
    USGS Off The East Coast Of Honshu, Japan Mar 14 10:49 6.1 9 MAP
    EMSC Off East Coast Of Honshu, Japan Mar 14 10:49 5.9 10 MAP
    GEOFON Off East Coast Of Honshu, Japan Mar 14 10:02 5.1 10 MAP
    EMSC Off East Coast Of Honshu, Japan Mar 14 10:02 5.1 2 MAP
    USGS Off The East Coast Of Honshu, Japan Mar 14 09:08 6.8 10 MAP
  • Niseko, Hokkaido - Room shook for a few seconds
  • Sendai - It was a roller.
  • Kawaguchi, Saitama - Just felt a fairly strong shake, rattled all of the bells and chimes in my room. Biggest one I've felt over the last few days--way bigger than the shocks we felt from the big one up north earlier today.
    		•
    USGS Off The East Coast Of Honshu, Japan Mar 14 09:08 6.9 26 MAP
    GEOFON Off East Coast Of Honshu, Japan Mar 14 09:08 7.2 10 MAP
    EMSC Off East Coast Of Honshu, Japan Mar 14 09:08 6.9 10 MAP
    GEOFON Off East Coast Of Honshu, Japan Mar 14 09:08 6.9 10 MAP
    USGS Off The East Coast Of Honshu, Japan Mar 14 09:08 6.8 10 MAP

    a

    QuakeSOS+     and QuakeSOS free are iPhone applications developed by Armand Vervaeck, the founder of Earthquake Report. The Application simplifies immediate group communication to friends and family members (with your exact GPS location) and is feeding the users with Earthquake Report news. The 0.99 US$ QuakeSOS+ version will support the activities of SOS Earthquakes.

    a

    Earthquake-Report.com headlines on twitter
    @OnlyQuakeNews : Get all the headlines of our earthquake-report.com articles + regular updates on ongoing events
    @QuakeSOS : earthquake-report.com news + automatic earthquake notifications of USGS earthquakes of M 4.0 or higher with emphasis to earthquakes in the America's and the Pacific Ocean sphere (4 and up) and a lot of the rest of the world (5 and up). This account was created for our QuakeSOS and QuakeSOS+ iPhone applications
    @ShakingEarth : earthquake-report.com news + automatic earthquake notifications of EMSC earthquakes of M 4.0 or higher with emphasis to earthquakes in European and Asian / Middle East sphere (4 and up) and a lot of the rest of the world (5 and up). This account was originally created to stimulate our Facebook account
    @QuakeMaps : earthquake-report.com news with mapping notifications of ALL earthquakes M 3.0 and higher from all over the world via EMSC and USGS. This account was created for our http://www.quake-maps.com website

    SHARE YOUR EARTHQUAKE EXPERIENCE WITH US

    I felt the shaking *
    Country where you felt the earthquake *
    City/Village where you felt the earthquake *
    Street or suburb (area) where you felt the earthquake
    Latitude (area) where you felt the earthquake
    Longitude (area) where you felt the earthquake
    Shaking Strength *
    MMI II (Very weak shaking) ?
    People :
    Felt by persons at rest, on upper floors or favorably placed.
    MMI III (Weak shaking) ?
    People :
    Felt indoors; hanging objects may swing, vibration similar to passing of light trucks, duration may be estimated, may not be recognized as an earthquake.
    MMI IV (Light shaking) ?
    People :
    Generally noticed indoors but not outside. Light sleepers may be awakened. Vibration may be likened to the passing of heavy traffic, or to the jolt of a heavy object falling or striking the building.
    Fittings :
    Doors and windows rattle. Glassware and crockery rattle. Liquids in open vessels may be slightly disturbed. Standing motorcars may rock.
    Structures :
    Walls and frames of buildings, and partitions and suspended ceilings in commercial buildings, may be heard to creak.
    MMI V (Moderate shaking) ?
    People :
    Generally felt outside, and by almost everyone indoors. Most sleepers awakened. A few people alarmed.
    Fittings :
    Small unstable objects are displaced or upset. Some glassware and crockery may be broken. Hanging pictures knock against the wall. Open doors may swing. Cupboard doors secured by magnetic catches may open. Pendulum clocks stop, start, or change rate.
    Structures :
    Some large display windows cracked. A few earthenware toilet fixtures cracked.
    MMI VI (Strong shaking) ?
    People Felt by all. People and animals alarmed. Many run outside. Difficulty experienced in walking steadily.
    Fittings :
    Objects fall from shelves. Pictures fall from walls. Some furniture moved on smooth floors, some unsecured free-standing fireplaces moved. Glassware and crockery broken. Very unstable furniture overturned. Small church and school bells ring. Appliances move on bench or table tops. Filing cabinets or "easy glide" drawers may open (or shut).
    Structures :
    Slight damage to buildings with low standard. Some stucco or cement plaster falls. Large display windows broken. Damage to a few weak domestic chimneys, some may fall.
    Environment :
    Trees and bushes shake, or are heard to rustle. Loose material may be dislodged from sloping ground, e.g. existing slides, talus slopes, shingle slides.
    MMI VII (Very strong shaking) ?
    People
    General alarm. Difficulty experienced in standing. Noticed by motorcar drivers who may stop.
    Fittings :
    Large bells ring. Furniture moves on smooth floors, may move on carpeted floors. Substantial damage to fragile contents of buildings.
    Structures :
    Unreinforced stone and brick walls cracked. Low standard buildings cracked with some minor masonry falls. A few instances of damage to buildings of ordinary workmanship. Unbraced parapets, unbraced brick gables, and architectural ornaments fall. Roofing tiles, especially ridge tiles may be dislodged. Many unreinforced domestic chimneys damaged, often falling from roof-line. Water tanks Type I burst. A few instances of damage to brick veneers and plaster or cement-based linings. Unrestrained water cylinders (hot-water cylinders) may move and leak. Some common windows cracked. Suspended ceilings damaged.
    Environment :
    Water made turbid by stirred up mud. Small slides such as falls of sand and gravel banks, and small rock-falls from steep slopes and cuttings. Instances of settlement of unconsolidated or wet, or weak soils. Some fine cracks appear in sloping ground. A few instances of liquefaction (i.e. small water and sand ejections).
    MMI VIII (Severe shaking) ?
    People Alarm may approach panic. Steering of motorcars greatly affected. Structures : Low standard buildings heavily damaged, some collapse. ordinary workmanship buildings damaged, some with partial collapse. Reinforced masonry or concrete buildings damaged in some cases. A few instances of damage to buildings and bridges designed and built to resist earthquakes. Monuments and pre-1976 elevated tanks and factory stacks twisted or brought down. Some pre-1965 infill masonry panels damaged. A few post-1980 brick veneers damaged. Decayed timber piles of houses damaged. Houses not secured to foundations may move. Most unreinforced domestic chimneys damaged, some below roof-line, many brought down. Environment : Cracks appear on steep slopes and in wet ground. Small to moderate slides in roadside cuttings and unsupported excavations. Small water and sand ejections and localized lateral spreading adjacent to streams, canals, lakes, etc.
    MMI IX (Violent shaking) ?
    Structures Many low standard buildings destroyed. Ordinary workmanship buildings heavily damaged, some collapse. Reinforced masonry or concrete buildings damaged, some with partial collapse. Buildings and bridges designed and built to resist earthquakes damaged in some cases, some with flexible frames seriously damaged. Damage or permanent distortion to some buildings and bridges, designed and built to normal use standards. Houses not secured to foundations shifted off. Brick veneers fall and expose frames. Environment : Cracking of ground conspicuous. Landsliding general on steep slopes. Liquefaction effects intensified and more widespread, with large lateral spreading and flow sliding adjacent to streams, canals, lakes, etc.
    Tell us your experience and how many seconds the shaking lasted + let us know if your property has been damaged (even slight damage). (max. 500 characters)
    * mandatory fields
    X

    Filed Under: 2012, CatDat, CatDat RED, Damaging earthquakes, Dangerous earthquakes, Deadly Quakes, earthquakes, In-depth articles