Reviewed by USGSGuam11y ago
M4.7 earthquake 57 km NNW of Yigo Village, Guam
Wednesday, December 3, 2014, 12:27:21 UTC · 14.040°N, 144.767°E
A magnitude 4.7 earthquake struck 57 km NNW of Yigo Village, Guam on Wednesday, December 3, 2014, 12:27:21 UTC, at a depth of 158.9 km (intermediate). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M4.8 on December 2, 2014.
- Magnitude
- 4.7
- Light · mb
- Depth
- 159 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
169 tons of TNT
That is about 1/89 of the Hiroshima bomb. A magnitude 5.0 releases about 3 times more energy.
Tectonic setting
85 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
159 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 M4.5 on December 30, 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 630 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 · 118 km S of this epicenter
- 7.120 km SSW of Merizo Village, GuamApril 26, 2002 · 107 km S of this epicenter
- 7.0176 km ESE of San Jose Village, Northern Mariana IslandsMay 18, 1913 · 252 km E of this epicenter
- 7.098 km SSE of Inarajan Village, GuamDecember 9, 1909 · 183 km S of this epicenter
- 7.032 km NNE of Yigo Village, GuamOctober 26, 1912 · 32 km SE of this epicenter
- 7.069 km SSE of Inarajan Village, GuamOctober 12, 2001 · 152 km S of this epicenter
- 6.8181 km WSW of Merizo Village, GuamMay 9, 2008 · 241 km SW of this epicenter
- 6.743 km NW of Piti Village, GuamSeptember 17, 2014 · 48 km SW of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 14 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 · 118 km away · intensity IX
$250 million damagetsunami
- 1849M7.5
Guam
25 Jan 1849 · 158 km away · intensity IX
Severe damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1909M8.0
Guam
9 Dec 1909 · 173 km away · intensity VIII
Moderate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 1892M7.5
Guam
16 May 1892 · 158 km away · intensity VIII
Moderate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 2001M7.0
Guam
12 Oct 2001 · 152 km away · intensity VIII
Moderate damage ($1–5M)
- 1825
Ladrones Island
Apr 1825 · 158 km away · intensity VIII
Moderate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.