The Japan Meteorological Agency
recorded a Magnitude 4.5 Earthquake at a depth of about 10 km, about 5 km to the west of the city of Uto in Kumamoto Prefecture on Kyūshū Island, slightly after 8.45 pm Japan
Standard Time (slightly after 11.45 am GMT) on Saturday 18 June 2016. There are no
reports of any damage or casualties associated with this event, but people have reported feeling it locally.
The approximate location of the 18 June 2016 Kumamoto Earthquake. Google Maps.
Japan has a complex tectonic environment with four plates underlying
parts of the Islands; in addition to the Pacific in the east and the
Othorsk in the North, there are the Philipine Plate to the south and the
Eurasian Plate to the West. Kyūshū Island lies at the northeast end of
the Ryukyu Island Arc, which sits on top of the boundary between the
Eurasian and Philippine Plates. The Philippine Plate is being subducted
beneath the Eurasian Plate, in the Ryukyo Trench, to the Southeast of
the Islands. This is not a smooth process, with the two plates
continuously sticking together then breaking apart as the pressure builds
up, leading to frequent Earthquakes in the region.
The movement of the Pacific and Philippine Plates beneath eastern Honshu. Laurent Jolivet/Institut des Sciences de la Terre d'Orléans/Sciences de la Terre et de l'Environnement.
Witness
accounts of Earthquakes can help geologists to understand these events,
and the structures that cause them. The international non-profit
organization Earthquake Report is interested in hearing from people who may have felt this event; if you felt this quake then you can report it to Earthquake Report here.
See also...
Thousands evacuated and at least nine dead following Magnitude 6.4 Earthquake on Kyushu Island, Japan. At least nine people have died and another 850 have been injured, eight
seriously, following an Earthquake on the Japanese island of Kyushu... 
Eruption on Sakurajima volcano, Japan. Sakurajima, an active volcano on Kyushu Island, Japan, underwent a
spectacular eruption on Friday 5 February 2015, producing an ash column
about 2.2 km in height as well as throwing incandescent material
(glowing...
Magnitude 6.1 Earthquake off the coast of Kyūshū Island, Japan. The Japan Meteorological Agency recorded a Magnitude 6.1 Earthquake at a 'very shallow' depth about 50
km off the east coast of Kyūshū Island, slightly before...
Follow Sciency Thoughts on Facebook.