Significant M5.6 Earthquake hit in the North Pacific Ocean 106km from Saipan (Northern Mariana Islands) on Tuesday Morning.

Written by Earthquakelist.org on December 15th, 2025. Last updated January 8th, 2026.

In the morning of Tuesday December 16th, 2025, a significant Magnitude 5.6 earthquake hit in the North Pacific Ocean 106 kilometer from Saipan, Northern Mariana Islands. Around 230 thousand people have been exposed to shaking. Guam is also near its epicenter.

Earthquake Summary

This earthquake hit under water in the North Pacific Ocean, 76 kilometers (47 mi) off the coast of Northern Mariana Islands, 106 kilometer south of Saipan. The center of this earthquake had an intermediate depth of 97 km.

Date and Time:	Dec 16, 2025 09:06 (Saipan Time) - Dec 15, 2025 23:06 Universal Time.
Location:	106 km south of Saipan, Northern Mariana Islands. Coordinates 14°15'56"N 145°51'30"E.
Map:	Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps.
Magnitude:	MAG 5.6 Detected by 13 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.054 .
Depth:	97 km (60 mi) An intermediate 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 230 thousand people exposed to shaking

An estimated 230 thousand have been exposed to shaking (An MMI or Modified Mercalli Intensity level II or higher) as a result of this earthquake according scientific estimates published by the USGS.

An estimated 32,820 people were exposed to level IV. At this level, light shaking and likely no damage can be expected. Intensity level III was experienced by the majority of people (around 190 thousand). In their region, weak shaking and probably no damage can be expected.

People in 2 countries have been exposed to shaking. In Guam , around 170 thousand people, with impact levels up to IV (light shaking, likely no damage). Roughly 50 thousand people were exposed to shaking in Northern Mariana Islands .

People	MMI Level	Shaking	Damage
0	I	Not noticable	None
0	II	Very weak	None
192,500	III	Weak	Probably none
32,820	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 struck within proximity of multiple countries. Northern Mariana Islands and Guam are both within 300km distance of its epicenter.

Saipan in Saipan, Northern Mariana Islands is the nearest significant place from the epicenter. The earthquake occurred 106 kilometer (66 mi) south of Saipan. Saipan experienced an earthquake intensity (MMI Scale) of roughly III. That level implies weak shaking and probably no damage.

A complete list of nearby places is included below. Estimated intensity data (MMI) sourced from a shake-map published by the US Geographic Survey is shown where available (cities without data probably experienced little impact).

Overview of nearby places

Cities and Towns around the epicenter of this earthquake.
Distance	Place	Intensity (MMI)
106 km (66 mi) N from epicenter	Saipan Saipan, Northern Mariana Islands.	III Weak
132 km (82 mi) SW from epicenter	Yigo Village Yigo, Guam.	IV Light
138 km (86 mi) SW from epicenter	Dededo Village Dededo, Guam.	III Weak
145 km (90 mi) SW from epicenter	Tamuning-Tumon-Harmon Village Tamuning, Guam.	III Weak
145 km (90 mi) SW from epicenter	Tamuning Tamuning, Guam.	III Weak
146 km (91 mi) SW from epicenter	Mangilao Village Mangilao, Guam.	III Weak
149 km (93 mi) SW from epicenter	Hagåtña Hagatna, Guam.	III Weak
149 km (93 mi) SW from epicenter	Guam Government House Hagatna, Guam.	III Weak

Earthquake Intensity Map

The intensity in shaking and damage by this earthquake is illustrated through the map below. The highest intensity measured 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.

Shaking reported by 1 person

People that feel an earthquake may report their experience to the US Geographic Survey. Currently, 1 person has reported shaking in one place in Northern Mariana Islands.We keep updating this article as more ground reports become available. You may report that you felt this earthquake here.

Places with most reports:

Garapan, Saipan, Northern Mariana Islands: 1 person.

Risk of aftershocks?

We have not yet detected any foreshocks or aftershocks (MAG-2.5 or higher) within 100km (62 mi) of this earthquake.

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.

It's always adviced to be cautious of the risk of a larger shock following any significant earthquake, however this risk is fairly small. There is a roughly 94 percent change that no larger main shock will follow in the days following this 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 August 10th, 2025, when a 5.9 magnitude earthquake hit 149 km (93 mi) further south. An even stronger magnitude 6.2 earthquake struck on April 2nd, 2024.

In total, 15 earthquakes with a magnitude of 5.6 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 8 months.

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 5.6. Earthquakes of this strength are unlikely to trigger a tsunami.	This earthquake occurred at a depth of of 97 km (60 mi). Earthquakes this shallow could trigger a tsunami.

Sources

Last updated 08/01/26 00:38 (). 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.