A significant MAG-5.2 earthquake struck in the North Pacific Ocean 212 kilometer from Dededo Village, Guam in the night of Friday November 22nd, 2024.
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Earthquake Summary
This earthquake hit under water in the North Pacific Ocean, 178 kilometers (110 mi) off the coast of Guam, 212 kilometer south-southwest of Dededo Village in Dededo. The center of this earthquake had a quite shallow depth of 40 km. Shallow earthquakes usually have a larger impact than earthquakes deep in the earth.
| Date and Time: | Nov 22, 2024 01:39 (Guam Time) - Nov 21, 2024 15:39 Universal Time. |
|---|---|
| Location: | 212 km SSW of Dededo Village, Dededo, Guam. Coordinates 11°43'17"N 144°11'15"E. |
| Map: |  Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps. |
| Magnitude: | MAG 5.2 Detected by 5 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.139 . |
| Depth: | 40 km (25 mi) A quite shallow depth. |
| Tsunami Risk: | Low tsunami risk Earthquakes under MAG-6.5 do not usually cause tsunami's. Always stay cautious - More info here. |
Nearby towns and cities
This earthquake may have been felt in Guam . Mangilao Village in Mangilao, Guam is the nearest significant place from the epicenter. The earthquake occurred 203 kilometer (126 mi) south-southwest of Mangilao Village.
A complete list of nearby places is included below.
Overview of nearby places
| Distance | Place |
|---|---|
| 203 km (126 mi) NNE from epicenter |
Mangilao Village Mangilao, Guam. |
| 204 km (127 mi) NNE from epicenter |
Hagåtña Hagatna, Guam. |
| 204 km (127 mi) NNE from epicenter |
Guam Government House Hagatna, Guam. |
| 207 km (129 mi) NNE from epicenter |
Tamuning Tamuning, Guam. |
| 207 km (129 mi) NNE from epicenter |
Tamuning-Tumon-Harmon Village Tamuning, Guam. |
| 212 km (132 mi) NNE from epicenter |
Dededo Village Dededo, Guam. |
| 216 km (134 mi) NNE from epicenter |
Yigo Village Yigo, Guam. |
Risk of aftershocks?
We monitor for foreshocks or aftershocks that have a magnitude of 2.5+ and occur within 100km (62 mi) of the epicenter of this earthquake. So far no such earthquakes have been detected.
Aftershocks are usually at least 1 order of magnitude less strong than main shocks. The more time passes, the smaller the chance and likely strength of any potential aftershocks.
In only six percent of cases, significant earthquakes are followed by a larger main shock, making the current earthquake a foreshock. While the chance of this happening is not so large, it is adviced to maintain cautiousness in the hours and days following a major earthquake.
Read: How to Stay Safe during an Earthquake (cdc.gov).Earthquakes like this happen often in the region
Earthquakes of this strength are very common in the region. This is the strongest earthquake to hit since September 14th, 2024, when a 5.5 magnitude earthquake hit 146 km (91 mi) further north. An even stronger magnitude 6 earthquake struck on February 13th, 2022.
In total, 37 earthquakes with a magnitude of 5.2 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 3 months.
Low tsunami risk
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 5.2. Earthquakes of this strength are unlikely to trigger a tsunami. |
This earthquake occurred at a depth of of 40 km (25 mi). Earthquakes this shallow could trigger a tsunami. |
Sources
Last updated 27/11/24 00:08 (). 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.
- US Geographic Society (USGS): Earthquake us6000p6s7
- European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20241121_0000178
- Geonames.org: World Cities Database
- Google Maps: Static API
- Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database
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