Reviewed by USGSGuam99y ago
M5.9 earthquake 119 km SSW of Merizo Village, Guam
Wednesday, October 10, 1928, 20:36:37 UTC · 12.277°N, 144.216°E
A magnitude 5.9 earthquake struck 119 km SSW of Merizo Village, Guam on Wednesday, October 10, 1928, 20:36:37 UTC, at a depth of 35.0 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M6.0 on July 17, 1925.
- 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
9 kilotons of TNT
That is about 1/2 of the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 19 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
45 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:
- 7.1261 km S of Merizo Village, GuamMay 9, 1917 · 153 km S of this epicenter
- 7.098 km SSE of Inarajan Village, GuamDecember 9, 1909 · 81 km E of this epicenter
- 7.032 km NNE of Yigo Village, GuamOctober 26, 1912 · 189 km NE of this epicenter
- 6.4279 km S of Merizo Village, GuamMay 6, 1917 · 166 km S of this epicenter
- 6.3193 km ENE of Fais, MicronesiaMarch 30, 1919 · 300 km SW of this epicenter
- 6.3146 km WSW of Merizo Village, GuamNovember 24, 1917 · 105 km NW of this epicenter
- 6.0247 km NE of Fais, MicronesiaJuly 17, 1925 · 253 km W of this epicenter
- 6.0Mariana Islands regionJuly 17, 1925 · 232 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 · 216 km away · intensity IX
Severe damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1909M8.0
Guam
9 Dec 1909 · 89 km away · intensity VIII
Moderate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 1892M7.5
Guam
16 May 1892 · 216 km away · intensity VIII
Moderate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 1825
Ladrones Island
Apr 1825 · 216 km away · intensity VIII
Moderate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 1834
Agana
May 1834 · 216 km away
Moderate damage ($1–5M)
- 1903
Guam
10 Feb 1903 · 216 km away · intensity VII
Limited damage (under $1M)tsunami
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.