Reviewed by USGSGuam98y ago
M6.0 earthquake 206 km SW of Merizo Village, Guam
Wednesday, May 1, 1929, 07:38:39 UTC · 11.929°N, 143.343°E
A magnitude 6.0 earthquake struck 206 km SW of Merizo Village, Guam on Wednesday, May 1, 1929, 07:38:39 UTC, at a depth of 20.0 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M6.2 on January 17, 1929.
- Magnitude
- 6.0
- Strong · mw
- Depth
- 20 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
16 kilotons of TNT
That is about the energy of the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 33 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
27 km
from the nearest mapped plate boundary, between the Philippine Sea and Mariana plates. Earthquakes cluster along boundaries like this one, where plates collide, pull apart or slide past each other.
Depth: shallow
20 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 12 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 · 162 km SE of this epicenter
- 7.098 km SSE of Inarajan Village, GuamDecember 9, 1909 · 183 km E of this epicenter
- 7.032 km NNE of Yigo Village, GuamOctober 26, 1912 · 273 km NE of this epicenter
- 6.4279 km S of Merizo Village, GuamMay 6, 1917 · 158 km SE of this epicenter
- 6.3193 km ENE of Fais, MicronesiaMarch 30, 1919 · 205 km SW of this epicenter
- 6.3146 km WSW of Merizo Village, GuamNovember 24, 1917 · 96 km N of this epicenter
- 6.2242 km NNE of Fais, MicronesiaJanuary 17, 1929 · 183 km W of this epicenter
- 6.1240 km N of Fais, MicronesiaFebruary 13, 1928 · 289 km W 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 · 230 km away · intensity IX
Severe damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1909M8.0
Guam
9 Dec 1909 · 191 km away · intensity VIII
Moderate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 1892M7.5
Guam
16 May 1892 · 230 km away · intensity VIII
Moderate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 1825
Ladrones Island
Apr 1825 · 230 km away · intensity VIII
Moderate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 1834
Agana
May 1834 · 230 km away
Moderate damage ($1–5M)
- 1903
Guam
10 Feb 1903 · 230 km away · intensity VII
Limited damage (under $1M)tsunami
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.