Magnitude 4.7 earthquake strikes near Wakayama, Wakayama Shi, Japan
4.7 quake 15 Mar 12:25 am (GMT +9)

A magnitude 4.7 earthquake near Wakayama, Wakayama Shi, Japan, was reported 1 hour and 54 minutes ago by Japan's National Research Institute for Earth Science and Disaster Resilience (NIED), considered the main national agency that monitors seismic activity in this part of the world. The earthquake occurred at a very shallow depth of 6.7 km beneath the epicenter after midnight on Monday 15 March 2021 at 12:25 am local time. Magnitude and other quake parameters can still change in the coming hours as the agency continues to process seismic data.

Our monitoring service identified a second report from the European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC) which listed the quake at magnitude 4.6.

Based on the preliminary seismic data, the quake was probably felt by many people in the area of the epicenter. It should not have caused significant damage, other than objects falling from shelves, broken windows, etc.

In Kainan (pop. 43,400) located 14 km from the epicenter, Gobō (pop. 27,200) 18 km away, Minato (pop. 375,300) 22 km away, Wakayama (pop. 351,000) 24 km away, and Iwade (pop. 55,600) 25 km away, the quake should have been felt as light shaking.

Weak shaking might have been felt in Tanabe (pop. 69,600) located 35 km from the epicenter, Izumisano (pop. 100,600) 44 km away, Hashimoto (pop. 57,100) 47 km away, and Osaka (pop. 2,592,400) 78 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.



Earthquake data:

Date & time: 15 Mar 2021 12:25 am (GMT +9) local time (14 Mar 2021 15:25 GMT)

Magnitude: 4.7

Depth: 6.7 km

Epicenterlatitude / longitude: 34.03°N / 135.24°E (Arida-gun, Wakayama, Japan)

Primary data source: NIED
https://www.volcanodiscovery.com/earthquake/news/124519/Magnitude-47-earthquake-strikes-near-Wakayama-Wakayama-Shi-Japan.html