| Magnitude | 6.0 |
| Alert | Severe |
| Depth | 15.0 km |
| Coordinates | 38.374, 143.085 |
| UTC time | 1938-12-20 14:51:17.100 |
Earthquake details
Tuesday, December 20, 1938 Earthquake
The earthquake hit Japan on Tuesday, December 20, 1938 at 14:51 UTC with a magnitude of 6.0. The closest known location in the current dataset is Ōfunato (Japan - JP), about 142.0 km away. The epicenter is located at longitude 143.085 and latitude 38.374.
| Location | Sendai |
| Country | Japan (JP) |
| Severity | Severe |
Earthquake map 1938-12-20
Closest countries
The 12 closest cities near the epicenter.
| Ōfunato | 142.0 km |
| Kesennuma | 143.6 km |
| Kamaishi | 145.7 km |
| Ishinomaki | 155.8 km |
| Yamoto | 163.3 km |
| Higashimatsushima | 166.3 km |
| Tome | 172.1 km |
| Miyako | 172.8 km |
| Shiogama | 179.2 km |
| Ichinoseki | 180.1 km |
| Tagajō-shi | 182.2 km |
| Rifu | 184.1 km |
Nearby earthquakes
The latest 8 earthquakes within 100 km of this epicenter.
M 4.6
Ishinomaki
Japan · 2026-08-04 14:00 UTC
65.0 km
M 4.9
Ishinomaki
Japan · 2026-07-03 01:44 UTC
90.4 km
M 4.4
Kesennuma
Japan · 2026-06-11 14:22 UTC
98.6 km
M 4.4
Sendai
Japan · 2026-03-30 19:05 UTC
98.5 km
M 4.4
Ishinomaki
Japan · 2026-03-06 20:35 UTC
88.4 km
M 4.8
Ishinomaki
Japan · 2026-03-06 20:31 UTC
76.4 km
M 4.1
Ishinomaki
Japan · 2026-02-25 21:52 UTC
76.9 km
M 4.5
Sendai
Japan · 2026-02-06 17:56 UTC
93.0 km
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