Hong Kong, March 2, 2026
An earthquake with a magnitude of 6.0 jolted Volcano Islands, Japan region at 0355 GMT on Monday, the German Research Centre for Geosciences said.
The epicenter, with a depth of 10.0 km, was initially determined to be at 23.12 degrees north latitude and 144.30 degrees east longitude, Xinhua news agency reported.
Earlier strong and shallow earthquake registered by the USGS as M6.1 hit the Volcano Islands, Japan region at 16:37 UTC on January 21, 2026. The agency reported a depth of 25.5 km (15.8 miles). EMSC reported the same magnitude and depth.
The epicenter was located 937 km (582 miles) NNW of Saipan (population 48 220), 957 km (595 miles) NNW of San Jose Village, Tinian (population 15 000), and about 1 090 km (678 miles) NNW of Guam (population centers Yigo and Dededo).
There was no tsunami threat from this earthquake.
The Volcano Islands form part of the Izu–Bonin–Mariana arc, a subduction zone where the Pacific Plate descends beneath the Philippine Sea Plate. This segment is characterized by frequent intermediate-depth seismic events associated with intra-slab faulting within the descending Pacific Plate.
Earthquakes of M6.0–M6.5 occur routinely in this region and rarely produce surface damage or tsunamigenic displacement.
Japan also sits atop one of the most volatile tectonic regions on Earth, an intricate four-arc system made up of deep ocean trenches and volcanic arcs. Nearly 80 per cent of the country’s earthquakes originate here, driven by powerful subduction forces.(Agency)
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