On Tuesday Evening an Unusually powerful M6.2 Earthquake struck in the North Pacific Ocean 138km from Saipan (Northern Mariana Islands).

Written by Earthquakelist.org on April 2nd, 2024. Last updated May 2nd, 2024.

In the evening of Tuesday April 2nd, 2024, an unusually powerful M6.2 earthquake hit in the North Pacific Ocean 138 kilometer from Saipan, Northern Mariana Islands. Shaking may have been felt by a total of 50 thousand people.

Earthquake Summary

This earthquake hit under water in the North Pacific Ocean, 133 kilometers (83 mi) off the coast of Northern Mariana Islands, 138 kilometer east-northeast of Saipan. The center of this earthquake had a very shallow depth of 10 km. Shallow earthquakes usually have a larger impact than earthquakes deep in the earth.

Date and Time:	Apr 2, 2024 19:54 (Saipan Time) - Apr 2, 2024 09:54 Universal Time.
Location:	138 km ENE of Saipan, Northern Mariana Islands. Coordinates 15°48'48"N 146°52'42"E.
Map:	Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps.
Magnitude:	MAG 6.2 Detected by 14 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.044 .
Depth:	10 km (6 mi) A very shallow depth.
Max. Intensity:	IV Light On the Modified Mercalli Scale.
Tsunami Risk:	Low tsunami risk Earthquakes under MAG-6.5 do not usually cause tsunami's. Always stay cautious - More info here.

Minimal impact predicted

Based on scientific estimates by the US Geographic Survey (USGS), the risk of high fatalities for this earthquake is classified at level GREEN (low). They expect an 65% likelyhood of between 0 and 1 fatalities, and a 96% chance that the number of fatalities falls no higher than 10.

The USGS classifies the economic impact of this earthquake at level GREEN (low). They expect an 65% likelyhood of between 0 and 1 million US Dollars in economic damage and impact, and a 96% chance that the economic impact of this earthquake falls no higher than 10 million USD.

Roughly 50 thousand people exposed to shaking

This earthquake may have been felt by around 50 thousand people. That is the expected population size of the area exposed to a level of shaking of II or higher on the Modified Mercalli scale according to the USGS.

Weak shaking and probably no damage may have been experienced by an estimated 53,320 people. At III, it is the highest MMI level this earthquake has caused. All exposure to shaking was within the borders of Northern Mariana Islands .

People	MMI Level	Shaking	Damage
0	I	Not noticable	None
0	II	Very weak	None
53,320	III	Weak	Probably none
0	IV	Light	Likely none
0	V	Moderate	Very light
0	VI	Strong	Light
0	VII	Very Strong	Moderate
0	VIII	Severe	Moderate to heavy
0	IX	Violent	Heavy
0	X	Extreme	Very heavy

Nearby towns and cities

This earthquake may have been felt in Northern Mariana Islands . The closest significant population center near the earthquake is Saipan in Saipan, Northern Mariana Islands. Saipan is located 138 kilometer (86 mi) east-northeast of the epicenter. The intensity of shaking and damage in Saipan is estimated to be around level III on the Modified Mercalli Intensity scale (weak shaking, probably no damage).

The table below provides an overview of all places in proximity of today's earthquake. Where available, the estimated intensity on the Modified Mercalli Intensity Scale in each place is included. Places where this information is omitted likely experienced little impact.

Overview of nearby places

Cities and Towns around the epicenter of this earthquake.
Distance	Place	Intensity (MMI)
138 km (86 mi) WSW from epicenter	Saipan Saipan, Northern Mariana Islands.	III Weak
332 km (206 mi) SW from epicenter	Yigo Village Yigo, Guam.
337 km (209 mi) SW from epicenter	Dededo Village Dededo, Guam.
343 km (213 mi) SW from epicenter	Tamuning-Tumon-Harmon Village Tamuning, Guam.
343 km (213 mi) SW from epicenter	Tamuning Tamuning, Guam.
345 km (214 mi) SW from epicenter	Mangilao Village Mangilao, Guam.
346 km (215 mi) SW from epicenter	Hagåtña Hagatna, Guam.
347 km (216 mi) SW from epicenter	Guam Government House Hagatna, Guam.

Earthquake Intensity Map

The graph below overlays a map of the region around the epicenter with earthquake intensity data provided by the US Geographic Survey. The highest intensity level detected for this earthquake is IV.

I Not felt

II Weak

III Weak

IV Light

V Moderate

VI Strong

VII Very Strong

VIII Severe

IX Violent

X Extreme

Earthquake Intensity Map based on Shakemap Data provided by USGS.

2 Aftershocks detected

This main shock was followed by 2 smaller aftershocks. At a distance of 2.8 km (1.7 mi) west-northwest of this earthquake, an aftershock struck 14 hrs later. It measured a magnitude of 5.3

Overview of foreshocks and aftershocks

Detected MAG2.5+ earthquakes within within 100km (62 mi), that occurred in the three days before and after the main shock.
Classification	Magnitude	When	Where
Main Shock This Earthquake	M 6.2	Apr 2, 2024 19:54 (Saipan Time)	-
Aftershock	M 5.2	12 hrs later Apr 3, 2024 08:16 (Saipan Time)	9 km (6 mi) NNW from Main Shock.
Aftershock	M 5.3	14 hrs later Apr 3, 2024 10:05 (Saipan Time)	2.8 km (1.7 mi) WNW from Main Shock.

More earthquakes coming?

Earthquakes can create aftershocks. These are generally at least 1 magnitude lower than any main shock, and as time passes the chance and strength of aftershocks decreases.

The chance that a significant earthquake like this one is followed by an even larger earthquake is not so large. On average, scientists estimate a 94% chance that a major earthquake will not be followed by an even larger one. It is still adviced to be aware of this risk

Read: How to Stay Safe during an Earthquake (cdc.gov).

This is the strongest earthquake in 6 years

Earthquakes of this strength are not so common in the region, but it's not the first time. This is the strongest earthquake to hit since August 28th, 2018, when a 6.4 magnitude earthquake hit 110 km (69 mi) further north. That was also the heaviest earthquake to hit the region in the past 10 years.

In total, 1 earthquake with a magnitude of 6.2 or higher have been registered within 300km (186 mi) of this epicenter in the past 10 years. This comes down to an average of once every 10 years.

Low tsunami risk

DISCLAIMER: We strongly suggest to closely monitor advice from local authorities with regards to tsunami risks. Our analysis is based on automatically collected data from external sources, and these might contain mistakes. In addition, earthquakes can cause landslides that may lead to a tsunami, or be a followed by another, potentially stonger, earthquake.

Based on early data it appears this earthquake was not strong enough (lower than MAG-6.5) to be likely to cause destructive tsunami's. However this earthquake appeared to have hit at a shallow depth under sea, so stay cautious and monitor advice from local authorities.

Tsunami Risk Factors

Factor	Under Sea?	MAG-6.5 or stronger?	Shallow depth?
Explanation	Almost all tsunami's are caused by earthquakes with their epicenter under sea or very near the sea. However stay cautious in coastal areas as earthquakes on land may cause landslides into sea, potentially still causing a local tsunami.	Under MAG 6.5: Very unlikely to cause a tsunami. MAG 6.5 to 7.5: Destructive tsunami's do occur, but are uncommon. Likely to observe small sea level changes. MAG 7.6+: Earthquakes with these magnitudes might produce destructive tsunami's.	Most destructive tsunami's are caused by shallow earthquakes with a depth between 0 and 100km under the surface of the earth. Deeper tsunami's are unlikely to displace to ocean floor.
This Earthquake	This earthquake appears to have struck under the sea.	Not this earthquake. This earthquake had a magnitude of 6.2. Earthquakes of this strength are unlikely to trigger a tsunami.	This earthquake occurred at a depth of of 10 km (6 mi). Earthquakes this shallow could trigger a tsunami.

Sources

Last updated 02/05/24 02:28 (). As more information on this earthquake becomes available this article will be updated. This article is automatically composed based on data originating from multiple sources.