Reviewed by USGSMicronesia16y ago
M6.6 earthquake 294 km NNE of Fais, Micronesia
Saturday, August 14, 2010, 23:01:04 UTC · 12.273°N, 141.429°E
A magnitude 6.6 earthquake struck 294 km NNE of Fais, Micronesia on Saturday, August 14, 2010, 23:01:04 UTC, at a depth of 13.0 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M6.9 on August 13, 2010.
- Magnitude
- 6.6
- Strong · mwc
- Depth
- 13 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 earthquakeDashed circle: 100 km aftershock search area
In context
How big was it, and why here?
Energy released
120 kilotons of TNT
That is about 8 times the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 251 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
130 km
from the nearest mapped plate boundary, between the Philippine Sea and Pacific plates. Earthquakes this far from a boundary happen on faults inside a plate, often less frequently but sometimes strongly.
Depth: shallow
13 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 100 km
USGS lists 46 M2.5+ earthquakes within 100 km in the following 30 days; the largest was M6.3 on August 18, 2010. Most nearby activity right after a large earthquake is aftershocks, which usually become less frequent over days and weeks.
- 4.6294 km NNE of Fais, Micronesia16y ago · 21 km SE of this epicenter
- 4.9293 km NNE of Fais, Micronesia16y ago · 22 km SE of this epicenter
- 4.8290 km NNE of Fais, Micronesia16y ago · 9 km SE of this epicenter
- 4.6274 km NNE of Fais, Micronesia16y ago · 21 km SW of this epicenter
- 4.3Mariana Islands region16y ago · 33 km NE of this epicenter
- 4.3276 km NNE of Fais, Micronesia16y ago · 27 km SW of this epicenter
- 4.4289 km NNE of Fais, Micronesia16y ago · 16 km SE of this epicenter
- 4.5290 km NNE of Fais, Micronesia16y ago · 7 km SE of this epicenter
Regional history
Past M5+ earthquakes within 300 km
USGS lists 422 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 7.0199 km NNW of Fais, MicronesiaJune 7, 1966 · 217 km SW of this epicenter
- 6.9Mariana Islands regionAugust 13, 2010 · 24 km N of this epicenter
- 6.8181 km WSW of Merizo Village, GuamMay 9, 2008 · 192 km E of this epicenter
- 6.7Mariana Islands regionOctober 18, 1935 · 28 km N of this epicenter
- 6.6133 km NNE of Fais, MicronesiaJanuary 16, 2005 · 162 km SW of this epicenter
- 6.5276 km SW of Merizo Village, GuamOctober 23, 1971 · 129 km E of this epicenter
- 6.5293 km WSW of Merizo Village, GuamOctober 24, 1971 · 111 km SE of this epicenter
- 6.5State of Yap, Federated States of MicronesiaFebruary 7, 1913 · 218 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 · 279 km away · intensity IX
Severe damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1892M7.5
Guam
16 May 1892 · 279 km away · intensity VIII
Moderate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 1825
Ladrones Island
Apr 1825 · 279 km away · intensity VIII
Moderate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 1834
Agana
May 1834 · 279 km away
Moderate damage ($1–5M)
- 1903
Guam
10 Feb 1903 · 279 km away · intensity VII
Limited damage (under $1M)tsunami
- 2010M6.9
Guam, Northern Mariana Islands
13 Aug 2010 · 24 km away
tsunami
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.