M6.5 Earthquake: Bonin Islands, Japan region

Updated 09:05 UTC · 29 Oct 2026

A magnitude 6.5 earthquake struck Bonin Islands, Japan region at 02:09 UTC on 25 Oct 2026, at a depth of 492 km, reported by USGS. USGS PAGER issued a green alert: little or no damage and a low chance of deaths. USGS set its tsunami flag for this quake; that is not a warning, so check tsunami.gov and local officials. So far 4 aftershocks of M2.5+ have been recorded within 58 km, the largest a M5.3.

M6.5

Magnitude (USGS)

mww

492 km

Depth

deep

GREEN

USGS PAGER impact alert

estimated impact

Aftershocks M2.5+ so far

within 58 km

[ fig. 1 ] M6.5 EPICENTRE, AFTERSHOCKS AND PAST QUAKESThis quakeAftershock M5+AftershockPast M6+

USGS · updated 09:05 UTC 2026-10-29Tap a point for details · pinch or ctrl + scroll to zoomTrack this live in the app ›

Nearest places

Kushimoto, Wakayama, Japan728 km from the epicentre · quake was SSE of here · population 16,243728 KM
Shingū, Wakayama, Japan744 km from the epicentre · quake was SSE of here · population 27,491744 KM
Kumano, Mie, Japan755 km from the epicentre · quake was SSE of here · population 16,232755 KM
Shimoda, Shizuoka, Japan765 km from the epicentre · quake was S of here · population 21,402765 KM
Shizuoka, Shizuoka, Japan805 km from the epicentre · quake was S of here · population 690,881805 KM

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Strongest aftershocks so far

Key context

Tectonic setting

Izu-Bonin-Mariana arc. Here the old, cold Pacific Plate sinks beneath the Philippine Sea Plate along the Izu-Bonin and Mariana trenches. Many quakes are intermediate or deep, in the sinking slab, and large shallow megathrust quakes are rarer than off northern Japan.

The USGS moment tensor shows strike-slip faulting: the two sides of the fault slid sideways past each other.

At 492 km it was a deep-focus quake, inside a plate that has sunk deep into the mantle. Deep quakes are felt widely but weakly and do not cause tsunamis.

Shaking and impact

USGS PAGER estimates the impact from the shaking and the number of people exposed. For this quake it issued a green alert: little or no damage and a low chance of deaths (fatality alert: green, economic loss alert: green). PAGER is an early estimate and can change as reports come in.

1 person sent a "Did You Feel It?" report to USGS, with the strongest reported intensity I (not felt).

Aftershocks

This page counts quakes of M2.5 or more within 58 km after the main shock, from the USGS catalog (last checked 09:05 UTC, 29 Oct 2026): 4 aftershocks so far.

Aftershocks are normal after a quake of this size. They usually become less frequent over days and weeks, but a strong aftershock can still happen, and in a few sequences a later quake is larger. No one can predict their exact time or size; follow the official agency for your area.

Earthquake history within 250 km

Since 1976, USGS lists 348 quakes of M5 or more within 250 km of this epicentre, about 7.0 a year. Since 1900 the same circle had 22 quakes of M6.5 or larger.

Largest earlier quakes within 250 km, USGS catalog since 1900 (M6+).
Magnitude	Place (USGS)	Date	Depth
M7.8	Bonin Islands, Japan region	2015-05-30	664 km
M7.4	Bonin Islands, Japan region	2000-08-06	395 km
M7.4	Izu Islands, Japan region	1984-03-06	457 km
M7.3	Bonin Islands, Japan region	1968-10-07	500 km
M7.1	Bonin Islands, Japan region	1970-05-27	390 km
M7.1	Bonin Islands, Japan region	1998-08-20	441 km
M7.1	Bonin Islands, Japan region	1951-07-11	497 km
M6.8	Izu Islands, Japan region	1982-09-06	176 km

Official information

Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA)
EMSC (European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre)
USGS event page for this quake (ShakeMap, PAGER, felt reports)
tsunami.gov for US tsunami bulletins

Data status

USGS review status: reviewed. Magnitude type: mww. USGS last updated this event on 29 Oct 2026 at 02:12 UTC. Magnitude, depth and location can still be revised; this page keeps the same address if they change.

Questions and answers

How strong was the earthquake Bonin Islands, Japan region?

USGS measured it at magnitude 6.5 (mww), 492 km deep. Quakes of M6 to 6.9 are classed as strong.

Was there a tsunami?

USGS set its tsunami flag, which means the quake was large and in an ocean region, so the tsunami warning centres checked it. The flag is not a warning. Check tsunami.gov and your national agency for actual warnings and follow local officials.

Was the earthquake felt?

Yes. 1 person reported it to USGS "Did You Feel It?", with reports up to intensity I.

Will there be more aftershocks?

Aftershocks are likely to continue for days to weeks, becoming less frequent over time. So far 4 aftershocks of M2.5+ have been listed. Most sequences do not produce a larger quake, but some do. No one can predict the time or size of the next one; follow Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA).

What should I do after a strong earthquake?

Expect aftershocks: Drop, Cover and Hold On when shaking starts again. Check for injuries and damage, stay out of damaged buildings, and use text messages instead of calls so emergency lines stay free. On a coast, move to high ground after strong shaking. Follow your local officials.

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Sources

USGS event page: magnitude, location, ShakeMap, PAGER and Did You Feel It? data for this event. Public domain. Credit: U.S. Geological Survey.
USGS ComCat (FDSN event web service): the USGS earthquake catalog, used for the 30-year counts, history and aftershocks. Public domain. Credit: U.S. Geological Survey.
USGS Geoserve: nearest places to the epicentre.
GeoNames: large-city coordinates, CC BY 4.0.

Page built 09:05 UTC, 2026-10-29. Full list: data sources and method.