M 6.7 Earthquake 49 km ESE of Ōfunato, Japan
Areazine synthesizes this USGS earthquake report directly from USGS's official public data feed. See our methodology for full source attribution and refresh cadence.
A magnitude 6.7 earthquake struck 49 km ESE of Ōfunato, Japan, at a depth of 43.6 km on May 15, 2026.
What this USGS earthquake report tells you, and what most readers miss
This notice was issued by USGS on May 15, 2026 and geographically references Japan. Its severity classification of "high" signals how the issuing agency weighs the risk of harm if no action is taken - "critical" and "high" tier alerts typically carry direct consumer actions, while "medium" and "low" tend toward informational guidance or monitoring advisories. The category it belongs to - Earthquakes - determines the monitoring protocol behind it, which shapes what follow-up action (checking for structural damage, watching for aftershocks, reviewing local building codes) is relevant and which agency holds authority over the assessment.
Most readers skim a notice like this, check whether they are personally affected, and move on. The more useful lens is to verify its scope, source, and timestamp, then compare related notices without assuming that one record proves a broader trend.
Areazine pairs this record with the original agency URL so you can check the primary source before acting. Its related labels are earthquake, seismic, usgs, Japan.
What Happened
A magnitude 6.7 mww earthquake occurred 49 km ESE of Ōfunato, Japan, at 12:42:01 UTC on May 15, 2026 (Unix timestamp 1778844121649). The event was recorded at coordinates 38.9127°N, 142.2498°E with a depth of 43.592 km.
Location Details
The earthquake was centered 49 km east-southeast of Ōfunato, Japan. Its intermediate depth of 43.6 km places it between 20-70 km, where seismic waves can still produce noticeable shaking at the surface.
Impact Assessment
The earthquake was felt by 4 people, with a maximum reported intensity of 3.8 on the Community Decimal Intensity scale and 5.634 on the Modified Mercalli Intensity scale. The USGS issued a green alert level. No tsunami advisory was issued (tsunami flag: 0).
What You Should Know
Earthquakes of this magnitude can cause light to moderate shaking and may be followed by aftershocks. Residents in the region should follow standard earthquake safety procedures, including drop, cover, and hold on during shaking.
Source
Original source: USGS Official Notice ↗
Related Earthquakes
All Earthquakes →Nationwide notices with similar length or severity timing 8
Two Areazine-derived peer sets for this USGS earthquake report: nearest notices by body length and by same severity near the same agency date. Peers come from other categories so they are not the same-feed Related list above.
Similar body length
Nearest notices by article body length (1,086 characters here).
Similar severity timing
Same severity (high) notices issued closest in time to May 15, 2026.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about this USGS earthquake report.