A shallow and significant M5.1 earthquake struck 111 miles from Guam in the night of Tuesday March 4th, 2025. Another nearby country is Northern Mariana Islands.
Felt the earthquake? Share this article: 
Earthquake Summary
This earthquake struck 111 miles (179 km) from Guam 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: | Mar 4, 2025 01:40 (Guam Time) - Mar 3, 2025 15:40 Universal Time. |
|---|---|
| Location: | 182 km ESE of Dededo Village, Dededo, Guam. Coordinates 12°40'29"N 146°16'42"E. |
| Map: |  Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps. |
| Magnitude: | MAG 5.1 Detected by 185 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.042 . |
| Depth: | 10 km (6 mi) A very 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
Guam and Northern Mariana Islands are both located within 300km distance of the epicenter of the earthquake.
Yigo Village in Yigo, Guam is the nearest significant place from the epicenter. The earthquake occurred 178 kilometer (111 mi) east-southeast of Yigo Village.
The table below provides an overview of all places in proximity of today's earthquake.
Overview of nearby places
| Distance | Place |
|---|---|
| 178 km (111 mi) WNW from epicenter |
Yigo Village Yigo, Guam. |
| 182 km (113 mi) WNW from epicenter |
Dededo Village Dededo, Guam. |
| 182 km (113 mi) WNW from epicenter |
Mangilao Village Mangilao, Guam. |
| 186 km (116 mi) WNW from epicenter |
Tamuning Tamuning, Guam. |
| 186 km (116 mi) WNW from epicenter |
Tamuning-Tumon-Harmon Village Tamuning, Guam. |
| 188 km (117 mi) WNW from epicenter |
Hagåtña Hagatna, Guam. |
| 188 km (117 mi) WNW from epicenter |
Guam Government House Hagatna, Guam. |
| 288 km (179 mi) NNW from epicenter |
Saipan Saipan, Northern Mariana Islands. |
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 March 1st, 2025, when a 5.3 magnitude earthquake hit 116 km (72 mi) further northwest. An even stronger magnitude 6.1 earthquake struck on August 14th, 2023.
In total, 58 earthquakes with a magnitude of 5.1 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 2 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 5.1. 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 15/03/25 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 us6000pwn3
- European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20250303_0000162
- Geonames.org: World Cities Database
- Google Maps: Static API
- Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database
Share this article:
