Strong magnitude 5.1 earthquake at 9 km depth18 Apr 05:59 UTC: First to report: VolcanoDiscovery after 5 minutes.18 Apr 06:02: Now using data updates from NIEDUpdate Sat, 18 Apr 2026, 06:01Seismic-like event, possible earthquake, reported few minutes ago near Matsumoto, Nagano, JapanUnconfirmed quake or seismic-like event reported: 8.5 km south of Matsumoto, Nagano, Japan, 7 minutes agoWe are receiving unverified early reports of ground shaking possibly caused by seismic activity in or near Matsumoto, Nagano, Japan on 18 Apr 2026 (GMT) at approximately 05:54 GMT.There are no details yet on the magnitude or depth of this possible quake. If confirmed, we can expect more accurate data to emerge in the next few minutes. The location, magnitude and time mentioned are indicative, based on our best-fit seismic model. They are temporary until our AllQuakes monitoring service receives more exact scientific data from a national or international seismological agency. Check back here shortly and stay safe.If you were or still are in this area during the quake help others with your feedback and report it here.Download the Volcanoes & Earthquakes app and get one of the fastest seismic alerts online: Android | iOSI didn't feel itI felt this quakeEarthquake detailsDate & timeApr 18, 2026 05:54:30 UTC - Local time at epicenterSaturday, Apr 18, 2026, at 02:54 pm (GMT +9)Statusunconfirmed (uncertain whether an earthquake with these data happened)Magnitude5.1Depth9.4 kmEpicenter latitude / longitude36.577°N / 137.865°EOmachi-shi, Nagano, JapanSeismic antipode36.577°S / 42.135°WShaking intensityV Moderate shaking near epicenterFelt5 reportsPrimary data sourceNIED (National Research Institute for Earth Science and Disaster Resilience)Nearest volcanoMidagahara (24 km / 15 mi)Weather at epicenter at time of quakeBroken Clouds 21.5°C (71 F), humidity: 40%, wind: 4 m/s (7 kts) from NEstimated seismic energy released2.8 x 1012 joules (783 megawatt hours, equivalent to 674 tons of TNT) | equivalent to ONE quake of magnitude 5.1 | about seismic energy8 minutes ago reported feltApr 18, 2026 05:54 GMT / Apr 18, 2026 02:54 pm (GMT +9)Lat / Lng: 36.577 / 137.865: Japan: Northern Nagano PrefSource: NIEDDetail info | Read user reports | You felt it? - Report it!';storedMarkers.push(['quake-22920642',36.57700,137.86500,'8 minutes ago: Mag. 5.1, Japan: Northern Nagano Pref',html,'quakes-7-24.png',30,30,15,15,126]); function mkRep(id,notFelt){var nFelt=notFelt||false;var src="https://www.volcanoesandearthquakes.com/app/earthquake-report.php?quakeId="+id;if(nFelt==true){src+="¬Felt=true";}window.open(src,"","status=0,toolbar=0,location=0,directories=0,menubar=0,resizable=1,scrollbars=1,height=400,width=350");} function locationHashChanged(e){-1!=e.oldURL.indexOf("#popupMap")&&closePopup()} window.onhashchange = locationHashChanged; function comment(e){var t=e.parentNode,a=(t.dataset.id,document.getElementById("commentForm"));"none"==a.style.display?(t.appendChild(a),a.style.display="block"):a.style.display="none"}function sendComment(e){var t=e.parentNode,a=t.parentNode.dataset.id,n=document.getElementById("commentContent"),p=n.value.trim();if(p){var o="id="+a+"&quakeId="+thisQuakeId;o+="&comment="+decodeURIComponent(p),mkRequest("//reports.volcanodiscovery.com/app/eqReportComment.php","post",o,function(e){e.responseText;alert("Thank you for submitting your comment!"),t.style.display="none",n.value=""})}}function flagReport(e){var t=e.parentNode.dataset.id;if(confirm("Report this as inappropriate?")){var a="id="+t+"&quakeId="+thisQuakeId+"&flagAsInappropriate=1";mkRequest("//reports.volcanodiscovery.com/app/eqReportComment.php","post",a,function(t){var a=t.responseText;alert(a),e.style.display="none"})}}function likeReport(e){var t="id="+e.parentNode.dataset.id+"&quakeId="+thisQuakeId+"&like=1";mkRequest("//reports.volcanodiscovery.com/app/eqReportComment.php","post",t,function(t){t.responseText;e.style.opacity=.5})}]]>[smaller] [bigger]Most recent quakes Top 20 past 24 hrs Quakes in JapanNearby placesThe closest larger town where the quake might have been felt is Nagano, a city with more than 370,000 inhabitants in Japan, in 30 km (18 mi) distance east of the epicenter. People likely experienced light shaking there. In the capital of Japan, Tokyo, 191 km (119 mi) away from the epicenter, the earthquake was probably felt as weak shaking.The following table shows some of the places that might have been affected (or not) by the shaking.DistancePlaceMax. shaking intensity(*)RegionCountry30 km (18 mi)E of epicenterNagano(pop: 372,800)IV: LightNaganoJapan32 km (20 mi)S of epicenterAzumino(pop: 94,200)IV: LightNaganoJapan39 km (24 mi)S of epicenterMatsumoto(pop: 241,100)IV: LightNaganoJapan42 km (26 mi)SE of epicenterUeda(pop: 157,500)IV: LightNaganoJapan68 km (42 mi)SE of epicenterSaku(pop: 99,100)IV: LightNaganoJapan69 km (43 mi)W of epicenterImizu(pop: 90,700)IV: LightToyamaJapan72 km (44 mi)NE of epicenterJoetsu(pop: 189,400)IV: LightJoetsu Shi, NiigataJapan74 km (46 mi)SW of epicenterTakayama(pop: 88,500)IV: LightGifuJapan78 km (49 mi)W of epicenterTakaoka(pop: 170,100)IV: LightToyamaJapan102 km (63 mi)E of epicenterShibukawa(pop: 76,100)III: WeakGunmaJapan107 km (66 mi)E of epicenterTakasaki(pop: 373,000)III: WeakGunmaJapan107 km (66 mi)NE of epicenterKashiwazaki(pop: 86,200)III: WeakNiigataJapan111 km (69 mi)E of epicenterMaebashi(pop: 332,100)III: WeakGunmaJapan111 km (69 mi)W of epicenterKanazawa(pop: 466,000)III: WeakIshikawa-kenJapan115 km (71 mi)SE of epicenterKai(pop: 75,300)III: WeakYamanashiJapan116 km (72 mi)W of epicenterMatsuto(pop: 110,400)III: WeakHakusan Shi, Ishikawa-kenJapan118 km (73 mi)S of epicenterIida(pop: 101,500)III: WeakNaganoJapan119 km (74 mi)SE of epicenterKofu(pop: 189,600)III: WeakKofu-shi, YamanashiJapan120 km (74 mi)SE of epicenterMinami-Alps(pop: 71,600)III: WeakMinami Alps Shi, YamanashiJapan123 km (76 mi)E of epicenterIsesaki(pop: 211,900)III: WeakGunmaJapan124 km (77 mi)E of epicenterHonjo(pop: 78,600)III: WeakHonjo Shi, SaitamaJapan126 km (78 mi)S of epicenterNakatsugawa(pop: 78,900)III: WeakGifuJapan128 km (79 mi)W of epicenterKomatsu(pop: 108,500)III: WeakIshikawa-kenJapan131 km (81 mi)NE of epicenterNagaoka(pop: 266,900)III: WeakNiigataJapan133 km (82 mi)E of epicenterKiryu(pop: 109,000)III: WeakKiryu Shi, GunmaJapan138 km (86 mi)E of epicenterOta(pop: 224,400)III: WeakOta-shi, GunmaJapan144 km (90 mi)E of epicenterAshikaga(pop: 144,700)III: WeakTochigiJapan145 km (90 mi)E of epicenterKumagaya(pop: 195,300)III: WeakSaitamaJapan149 km (92 mi)SW of epicenterSekimachi(pop: 85,300)III: WeakSeki-shi, GifuJapan149 km (93 mi)SW of epicenterKani(pop: 102,100)III: WeakGifuJapan150 km (94 mi)NE of epicenterSanjo(pop: 94,600)III: WeakSanjo Shi, NiigataJapan152 km (94 mi)SE of epicenterHigashi-Matsuyama(pop: 91,800)III: WeakHigashimatsuyama Shi, SaitamaJapan152 km (94 mi)SE of epicenterOme(pop: 133,500)III: WeakOme-shi, TokyoJapan153 km (95 mi)SE of epicenterSakado(pop: 100,300)III: WeakSaitamaJapan155 km (96 mi)SW of epicenterTajimi(pop: 107,800)III: WeakGifuJapan156 km (97 mi)E of epicenterSano(pop: 117,700)III: WeakTochigiJapan157 km (98 mi)SW of epicenterKakamigahara(pop: 144,500)III: WeakGifuJapan158 km (98 mi)W of epicenterFukui-shi(pop: 262,300)III: WeakFukui-shi, FukuiJapan191 km (119 mi)SE of epicenterTokyo(pop: 9,733,300)III: WeakTokyoJapan205 km (127 mi)SE of epicenterYokohama(pop: 3,777,500)III: WeakKanagawaJapanNotes:(*) Shaking intensity according to the Modified Mercalli Intensity Scale (MMI) and estimated using seismic models.User-reports for this quake (5)The first report about ground shaking reached us after only 5 minutes, before other agencies reported it. So far, we have received 5 reports for this quake from Japan. The quake was reported to have been felt in up to approx. 60–80 km (37–50 mi) distance, with isolated cases to have felt the quake even 84 km (52 mi) away.Most reports came from Ueda (1 report), a city with more than 160,000 inhabitants in Nagano in 42 km (26 mi) distance southeast of the epicenter, Japan. Further below is a list of places where most people reported this quake.This section is being updated as new data comes in.User reports estimate the perceived ground shaking intensity according to the MMI (Modified Mercalli Intensity) scale.Contribute:Leave a comment if you find a particular report interesting or want to add to it.Flag as inappropriate.Mark as helpful or interesting.Send your own user report!Translate83.8 km S of epicenter [Map] / Weak shaking (MMI III) : Sudden short earthquake Matsumoto (39.3 km SSE of epicenter) [Map] / Weak shaking (MMI III) : 10 second 30.9 km S of epicenter [Map] / Light shaking (MMI IV) : Big rumble, shaking building Matsumoto (39.5 km SSE of epicenter) [Map] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / both vertical and horizontal swinging / 2-5 suefa (39.4 km ESE of epicenter) [Map] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) : лежала на кровати и она начала шататься List of cities/places with most reportsPlaceDistance from epicenterAverage reported Shaking IntensityNr. of reportsUeda, Nagano, Japan(Pop.: 157,480)42 km (26 mi)SE of epicenterII: Very weak shaking1Note: Only reports with latitude/longitude coordinate positions given (5 in total) could be used for statistics.What is Intensity and the Mercalli Intensity Scale?The amount of shaking that occurs on the surface due to an earthquake is called the intensity. It is commonly measured on the so-called Modified Mercalli Intensity Scale (MMI) ranging from 1 (not felt) to 10 (extreme shaking), and given in Roman numerals as I,II,...IX, X, and often displayed with color codes ranging from light blue to dark red.Earthquake intensity depends mainly on the magnitude and depth of the quake as well as the distance from the epicenter: The further away, the less shaking intensity occurs.Read more about the MMI scale!Number of reports by intensityShaking intensityNumber of reportsMin-Max distance from epicenter (*)Average distance (*)II: Very weak shaking139–39 km (24–24 mi)39 km (24 mi)III: Weak shaking239–84 km (24–52 mi)61 km (38 mi)IV: Light shaking231–39 km (19.2–25 mi)35 km (22 mi)Notes(*) Reports are filtered to exclude those that are likely highly inaccurate or esaggerated.Only reports with latitude/longitude coordinate positions given (5 in total) could be used for geographic statistics.Get the Android appI didn't feel itI felt this quakeIf you were near the epicenter and felt it, please share your experience and submit a short "I felt it" report! Other users would love to hear about it!If you did NOT feel the quake although you were in the area, please report it as well! Your contribution is valuable to earthquake science and seismic hazard analysis.Compare Quake DataData for the same earthquake as reported by different agenciesThe more agencies report about the same quake and post similar data, the more confidence you can have in the data. It takes normally up to a few hours until earthquake parameters are calculated with near-optimum precision.MagDepthTime GMT2026-04-18EpicenterAgency5.19.4 km5.8 mi05:54:30NORTHERN NAGANO PREFNIED (National Research Institute for Earth Science and Disaster Resilience)Aftershocks for this quakeNo aftershocks have been recorded so far. When aftershocks are detected, we will update this section.What are aftershocks?Larger earthquakes (above magnitude 5 or so) such as this one are usually followed by smaller ones known as aftershocks that occur in the same area during the days, weeks, months or even years after the main shock.[More info]What about this quake?Based on its magnitude, the fault that was active during the quake likely ruptured beneath a surface area of approximately 13 km2 (5 square miles) as a first-order estimate. The length of the rupture zone thus was probably around 6 km (4 mi).[More info]Recorded aftershocks, latest first (0 quake)Apr 18, 2026 02:54 pm (GMT +9)8 minutes ago - felt5.19.4 km0 km - This quake8.5 km S of Matsumoto, Nagano, JapanMain Shock (this quake)MoreMap of aftershocksEarthquake statisticsAverage number of earthquakesBased on data from the past 56 years and our earthquake archive back to 1900, there are about 3,200 quakes on average per year in the area near the epicenter of this quake (within 100 km/61 mi):Mag. 6 or higher: 0.04 quakes per year (or 1 quake every 25 years)Mag. 5 or higher: 0.75 quakes per year (or 1 quake every 1.3 years)Mag. 4 or higher: 10.3 quakes per yearMag. 3 or higher: 65 quakes per year (or 5.4 quakes per month)Mag. 2 or higher: 203 quakes per year (or 16.9 quakes per month)Mag. 1 or higher: 747 quakes per year (or 62 quakes per month)The area where this quake occurred has a high level of seismic activity. It has had at least 5 quakes above magnitude 6 since 1900, which suggests that larger earthquakes of this size occur infrequently, probably on average approximately every 25 to 30 years.Number of quakes per yearPrevious quakes in the same area of this earthquake