QuakeScout
Magnitude4.0

Reviewed by USGSNorthern Mariana Islands12y ago

M4.0 earthquake 75 km S of San Jose Village, Northern Mariana Islands

Thursday, November 27, 2014, 11:22:33 UTC · 14.302°N, 145.488°E

A magnitude 4.0 earthquake struck 75 km S of San Jose Village, Northern Mariana Islands on Thursday, November 27, 2014, 11:22:33 UTC, at a depth of 114.9 km (intermediate).

Magnitude
4.0
Light · mb
Depth
115 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 earthquake

In context

How big was it, and why here?

Energy released

15 tons of TNT

That is about 1/998 of the Hiroshima bomb. A magnitude 5.0 releases about 32 times more energy.

Tectonic setting

124 km

from the nearest mapped plate boundary, between the Philippine Sea and Mariana plates. Earthquakes this far from a boundary happen on faults inside a plate, often less frequently but sometimes strongly.

Depth: intermediate

115 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 has not published any M2.5+ earthquake within 50 km in the 30 days after this event.

Regional history

Past M5+ earthquakes within 300 km

USGS lists 623 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:

  1. 7.832 km S of Inarajan Village, GuamAugust 8, 1993 · 165 km SW of this epicenter
  2. 7.6198 km E of Saipan, Northern Mariana IslandsApril 5, 1990 · 244 km E of this epicenter
  3. 7.120 km SSW of Merizo Village, GuamApril 26, 2002 · 164 km SW of this epicenter
  4. 7.0176 km ESE of San Jose Village, Northern Mariana IslandsMay 18, 1913 · 173 km E of this epicenter
  5. 7.098 km SSE of Inarajan Village, GuamDecember 9, 1909 · 219 km S of this epicenter
  6. 7.032 km NNE of Yigo Village, GuamOctober 26, 1912 · 79 km SW of this epicenter
  7. 7.0233 km ESE of Saipan, Northern Mariana IslandsJune 14, 1942 · 256 km E of this epicenter
  8. 7.069 km SSE of Inarajan Village, GuamOctober 12, 2001 · 188 km S of this epicenter

History · NOAA

Deadliest earthquakes in this area

NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 15 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700. The most severe:

  1. 1993M7.8

    Tuman Bay, Apra Harbor

    8 Aug 1993 · 165 km away · intensity IX

    $250 million damagetsunami

  2. 1849M7.5

    Guam

    25 Jan 1849 · 238 km away · intensity IX

    Severe damage ($5–24M)tsunami

  3. 1909M8.0

    Guam

    9 Dec 1909 · 207 km away · intensity VIII

    Moderate damage ($1–5M)tsunami

  4. 1892M7.5

    Guam

    16 May 1892 · 238 km away · intensity VIII

    Moderate damage ($1–5M)tsunami

  5. 2001M7.0

    Guam

    12 Oct 2001 · 188 km away · intensity VIII

    Moderate damage ($1–5M)

  6. 1825

    Ladrones Island

    Apr 1825 · 238 km away · intensity VIII

    Moderate damage ($1–5M)tsunami

NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.

Nearby trackers

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