Reviewed by USGSNorthern Mariana Islands10d ago
M5.1 earthquake 172 km ESE of Saipan, Northern Mariana Islands
Wednesday, September 16, 2026, 08:37:00 UTC · 14.389°N, 147.114°E
A magnitude 5.1 earthquake struck 172 km ESE of Saipan, Northern Mariana Islands on Wednesday, September 16, 2026, 08:37:00 UTC, at a depth of 10.0 km (shallow). USGS received 2 “Did You Feel It?” reports, with a maximum reported intensity of II (weak). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M5.4 on February 12, 2026.
- Magnitude
- 5.1
- Moderate · mb
- Depth
- 10 km
- Shallow
- Felt reports
- 2
- Max intensity II
- 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
674 tons of TNT
That is about 1/22 of the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 1 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
15 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
10 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
Reports sent by people to USGS, grouped by place (most reports first). Intensity uses the Modified Mercalli scale (I–X): what people felt, not the magnitude.
| Place | Intensity | Reports | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| 96952<br>0.320 | II · Weak | 2 | 170 km |
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 since this event.
Regional history
Past M5+ earthquakes within 300 km
USGS lists 584 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 7.832 km S of Inarajan Village, GuamAugust 8, 1993 · 295 km SW of this epicenter
- 7.6198 km E of Saipan, Northern Mariana IslandsApril 5, 1990 · 97 km NE of this epicenter
- 7.1233 km NE of Saipan, Northern Mariana IslandsJuly 2, 1949 · 241 km N of this epicenter
- 7.0176 km ESE of San Jose Village, Northern Mariana IslandsMay 18, 1913 · 15 km S of this epicenter
- 7.032 km NNE of Yigo Village, GuamOctober 26, 1912 · 241 km W of this epicenter
- 7.0233 km ESE of Saipan, Northern Mariana IslandsJune 14, 1942 · 83 km E of this epicenter
- 7.069 km SSE of Inarajan Village, GuamOctober 12, 2001 · 298 km SW of this epicenter
- 6.743 km NW of Piti Village, GuamSeptember 17, 2014 · 298 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:
- 1993M7.8
Tuman Bay, Apra Harbor
8 Aug 1993 · 295 km away · intensity IX
$250 million damagetsunami
- 2001M7.0
Guam
12 Oct 2001 · 298 km away · intensity VIII
Moderate damage ($1–5M)
- 1997M6.5
Guam
23 Apr 1997 · 243 km away · intensity VII
Limited damage (under $1M)
- 2002M6.5
Saipan
14 Aug 2002 · 104 km away
Limited damage (under $1M)
- 1975M6.1
Guam
1 Nov 1975 · 262 km away · intensity VII
Limited damage (under $1M)
- 1990M7.5
Saipan; Guam
5 Apr 1990 · 97 km away · intensity IV
tsunami
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.