Reviewed by USGSGuam12y ago
M3.8 earthquake 13 km NW of Piti Village, Guam
Friday, November 14, 2014, 19:25:52 UTC · 13.554°N, 144.615°E
A magnitude 3.8 earthquake struck 13 km NW of Piti Village, Guam on Friday, November 14, 2014, 19:25:52 UTC, at a depth of 139.6 km (intermediate).
- Magnitude
- 3.8
- Minor · ml
- Depth
- 140 km
- Intermediate
- Felt reports
- 0
- Max intensity I
- Est. shaking
- —
- No ShakeMap
- PAGER alert
- None
- Not issued
- Tsunami
- No flag
- USGS feed
Outlined circle: this earthquakeDashed circle: 50 km aftershock search area
In context
How big was it, and why here?
Energy released
8 tons of TNT
That is about 1/1,992 of the Hiroshima bomb. A magnitude 5.0 releases about 63 times more energy.
Tectonic setting
77 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: intermediate
140 km
Intermediate-depth earthquakes usually break inside a plate that is sinking into the mantle. Shaking spreads over a wide area but is gentler at the epicenter than a shallow quake of the same size.
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 50 km
USGS lists 2 M2.5+ earthquakes within 50 km in the following 30 days; the largest was M4.8 on December 2, 2014. Most nearby activity right after a large earthquake is aftershocks, which usually become less frequent over days and weeks.
Regional history
Past M5+ earthquakes within 300 km
USGS lists 645 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 · 67 km S of this epicenter
- 7.2265 km S of Merizo Village, GuamJanuary 28, 1931 · 299 km S of this epicenter
- 7.1261 km S of Merizo Village, GuamMay 9, 1917 · 294 km S of this epicenter
- 7.120 km SSW of Merizo Village, GuamApril 26, 2002 · 52 km S of this epicenter
- 7.0176 km ESE of San Jose Village, Northern Mariana IslandsMay 18, 1913 · 278 km E of this epicenter
- 7.098 km SSE of Inarajan Village, GuamDecember 9, 1909 · 132 km S of this epicenter
- 7.032 km NNE of Yigo Village, GuamOctober 26, 1912 · 47 km NE of this epicenter
- 7.069 km SSE of Inarajan Village, GuamOctober 12, 2001 · 104 km S of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 13 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 · 67 km away · intensity IX
$250 million damagetsunami
- 1849M7.5
Guam
25 Jan 1849 · 150 km away · intensity IX
Severe damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1909M8.0
Guam
9 Dec 1909 · 124 km away · intensity VIII
Moderate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 1892M7.5
Guam
16 May 1892 · 150 km away · intensity VIII
Moderate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 2001M7.0
Guam
12 Oct 2001 · 104 km away · intensity VIII
Moderate damage ($1–5M)
- 1825
Ladrones Island
Apr 1825 · 150 km away · intensity VIII
Moderate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.