Reviewed by USGSNorthern Mariana Islands91y ago
M5.9 earthquake 227 km NNE of Saipan, Northern Mariana Islands
Thursday, November 12, 1936, 02:15:38 UTC · 16.942°N, 146.896°E
A magnitude 5.9 earthquake struck 227 km NNE of Saipan, Northern Mariana Islands on Thursday, November 12, 1936, 02:15:38 UTC, at a depth of 35.0 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M6.0 on December 25, 1934.
- Magnitude
- 5.9
- Moderate · mw
- Depth
- 35 km
- Shallow
- 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
12 kilotons of TNT
That is about the energy of the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 25 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
99 km
from the nearest mapped plate boundary, between the Mariana and Pacific plates. Earthquakes cluster along boundaries like this one, where plates collide, pull apart or slide past each other.
Depth: shallow
35 km
Shallow earthquakes (under 70 km) produce the strongest surface shaking for their size, so they are the ones most likely to cause damage near the epicenter.
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 75 km
USGS has not published any M2.5+ earthquake within 75 km in the 30 days after this event.
Regional history
Past M5+ earthquakes within 300 km
USGS lists 9 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 7.2Pagan region, Northern Mariana IslandsOctober 24, 1930 · 169 km N of this epicenter
- 7.0176 km ESE of San Jose Village, Northern Mariana IslandsMay 18, 1913 · 299 km S of this epicenter
- 6.6Alamagan region, Northern Mariana IslandsFebruary 10, 1921 · 98 km N of this epicenter
- 6.5Pagan region, Northern Mariana IslandsOctober 28, 1930 · 178 km N of this epicenter
- 6.3215 km ENE of Saipan, Northern Mariana IslandsMarch 19, 1932 · 118 km SE of this epicenter
- 6.0Pagan region, Northern Mariana IslandsDecember 25, 1934 · 183 km N of this epicenter
- 5.7Mariana Islands regionAugust 11, 1935 · 171 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 · 151 km away · intensity IX
Severe damage ($5–24M)
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.