Reviewed by USGSNorthern Mariana Islands72y ago
M6.7 earthquake in Pagan region, Northern Mariana Islands
Monday, November 15, 1954, 16:26:44 UTC · 18.947°N, 145.776°E
A magnitude 6.7 earthquake struck in Pagan region, Northern Mariana Islands on Monday, November 15, 1954, 16:26:44 UTC, at a depth of 189.0 km (intermediate). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M7.2 on June 19, 1947.
- Magnitude
- 6.7
- Strong · mw
- Depth
- 189 km
- Intermediate
- Felt reports
- 0
- Did You Feel It?
- Est. shaking
- —
- No ShakeMap
- PAGER alert
- None
- Not issued
- Tsunami
- No flag
- USGS feed
Outlined circle: this earthquake
In context
How big was it, and why here?
Energy released
169 kilotons of TNT
That is about 11 times the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 355 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
126 km
from the nearest mapped plate boundary, between the Philippine Sea and Mariana plates. Earthquakes this far from a boundary happen on faults inside a plate, often less frequently but sometimes strongly.
Depth: intermediate
189 km
Intermediate-depth earthquakes usually break inside a plate that is sinking into the mantle. Shaking spreads over a wide area but is gentler at the epicenter than a shallow quake of the same size.
Did You Feel It?
Where it was felt
No “Did You Feel It?” reports have been published for this event yet. If you felt it, you can add your report on the USGS website.
I felt it — report to USGS ↗USGS PAGER estimate
Who was exposed to shaking
USGS publishes PAGER impact estimates for significant earthquakes, usually within an hour. No PAGER estimate is available for this event.
After the main event
Aftershocks within 100 km
USGS has not published any M2.5+ earthquake within 100 km in the 30 days after this event.
Regional history
Past M5+ earthquakes within 300 km
USGS lists 19 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 7.7Mariana Islands regionDecember 28, 1940 · 196 km SE of this epicenter
- 7.2Pagan region, Northern Mariana IslandsOctober 24, 1930 · 111 km SE of this epicenter
- 7.2Mariana Islands regionJune 19, 1947 · 293 km N of this epicenter
- 6.6Alamagan region, Northern Mariana IslandsFebruary 10, 1921 · 158 km SE of this epicenter
- 6.5258 km NE of Saipan, Northern Mariana IslandsDecember 1, 1938 · 262 km SE of this epicenter
- 6.5Pagan region, Northern Mariana IslandsOctober 28, 1930 · 101 km SE of this epicenter
- 6.4Mariana Islands regionAugust 27, 1919 · 268 km N of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 1 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700. The most severe:
- 1902M8.1
Agana
22 Sep 1902 · 108 km away · intensity IX
Severe damage ($5–24M)
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.