Reviewed by USGSGuam91y ago
M6.2 earthquake 40 km E of Yigo Village, Guam
Sunday, December 13, 1936, 21:30:51 UTC · 13.479°N, 145.261°E
A magnitude 6.2 earthquake struck 40 km E of Yigo Village, Guam on Sunday, December 13, 1936, 21:30:51 UTC, at a depth of 35.0 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M6.4 on October 29, 1936.
- Magnitude
- 6.2
- Strong · 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
35 kilotons of TNT
That is about 2 times the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 72 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
102 km
from the nearest mapped plate boundary, between the Mariana and Pacific plates. Earthquakes this far from a boundary happen on faults inside a plate, often less frequently but sometimes strongly.
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 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 16 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 7.1261 km S of Merizo Village, GuamMay 9, 1917 · 300 km S of this epicenter
- 7.0176 km ESE of San Jose Village, Northern Mariana IslandsMay 18, 1913 · 216 km NE of this epicenter
- 7.098 km SSE of Inarajan Village, GuamDecember 9, 1909 · 124 km S of this epicenter
- 7.032 km NNE of Yigo Village, GuamOctober 26, 1912 · 50 km NW of this epicenter
- 6.446 km ENE of Yigo Village, GuamOctober 29, 1936 · 29 km N of this epicenter
- 6.3146 km WSW of Merizo Village, GuamNovember 24, 1917 · 215 km W of this epicenter
- 6.2254 km S of Merizo Village, GuamMarch 15, 1932 · 283 km S of this epicenter
- 6.0206 km SW of Merizo Village, GuamMay 1, 1929 · 270 km SW of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 7 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700. The most severe:
- 1849M7.5
Guam
25 Jan 1849 · 220 km away · intensity IX
Severe damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1909M8.0
Guam
9 Dec 1909 · 112 km away · intensity VIII
Moderate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 1892M7.5
Guam
16 May 1892 · 220 km away · intensity VIII
Moderate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 1825
Ladrones Island
Apr 1825 · 220 km away · intensity VIII
Moderate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 1834
Agana
May 1834 · 220 km away
Moderate damage ($1–5M)
- 1903
Guam
10 Feb 1903 · 220 km away · intensity VII
Limited damage (under $1M)tsunami
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.