Shallow M5.7 Earthquake hit in the North Pacific Ocean 250km from Dededo Village (Guam) on Thursday Night.

Written by Earthquakelist.org on December 24th, 2025. Last updated February 2nd, 2026.

In the night of Thursday December 25th, 2025, a shallow and significant Magnitude 5.7 earthquake hit in the North Pacific Ocean 250 kilometer from Dededo Village, Guam. Roughly 170 thousand people may have felt this earthquake.

Earthquake Summary

This earthquake hit under water in the North Pacific Ocean, 218 kilometers (135 mi) off the coast of Guam, 250 kilometer southwest of Dededo Village in Dededo. The center of this earthquake had a very shallow depth of 14 km. Shallow earthquakes usually have a larger impact than earthquakes deep in the earth.

Date and Time:	Dec 25, 2025 01:00 (Guam Time) - Dec 24, 2025 15:00 Universal Time.
Location:	250 km SW of Dededo Village, Dededo, Guam. Coordinates 11°48'44"N 143°20'41"E.
Map:	Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps.
Magnitude:	MAG 5.7 Detected by 17 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.048 .
Depth:	14 km (8 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 170 thousand people exposed to shaking

The USGS has published a report estimating the number of people exposed to this earthquake. Acoording to their analysis, roughly 170 thousand have been exposed to shaking at an MMI level of II or higher.

Weak shaking and probably no damage may have been experienced by an estimated 163,100 people. At III, it is the highest MMI level this earthquake has caused. All exposure to shaking was within the borders of Guam .

People	MMI Level	Shaking	Damage
0	I	Not noticable	None
9,420	II	Very weak	None
163,100	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 Guam . The closest significant population center near the earthquake is Guam Government House in Hagatna, Guam. Guam Government House is located 239 kilometer (149 mi) southwest of the epicenter. The intensity of shaking and damage in Guam Government House is estimated to be around level III on the Modified Mercalli Intensity scale (weak shaking, probably no damage).

An overview of nearby towns and cities is available in the overview below. If places don't have intensity data available, it likely means the experienced impact in those places was fairly small.

Overview of nearby places

Cities and Towns around the epicenter of this earthquake.
Distance	Place	Intensity (MMI)
239 km (149 mi) NE from epicenter	Guam Government House Hagatna, Guam.	III Weak
240 km (149 mi) NE from epicenter	Hagåtña Hagatna, Guam.	III Weak
241 km (150 mi) NE from epicenter	Mangilao Village Mangilao, Guam.	III Weak
243 km (151 mi) NE from epicenter	Tamuning Tamuning, Guam.	III Weak
243 km (151 mi) NE from epicenter	Tamuning-Tumon-Harmon Village Tamuning, Guam.	III Weak
250 km (155 mi) NE from epicenter	Dededo Village Dededo, Guam.	III Weak
255 km (158 mi) NE from epicenter	Yigo Village Yigo, Guam.	III Weak

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 III.

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

Since this main shock, 2 smaller aftershocks were detected. A 5.1 magnitude earthquake hit 8 hrs later 13 km (8 mi) west-southwest of this earthquake.

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 5.7	Dec 25, 2025 01:00 (Guam Time)	-
Aftershock	M 5.1	8 hrs later Dec 25, 2025 08:37 (Guam Time)	13 km (8 mi) WSW from Main Shock.
Aftershock	M 4.7	1 day later Dec 26, 2025 01:48 (Guam Time)	14 km (9 mi) WSW 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).

Earthquakes like this are common in the region

Earthquakes of this strength occur quite regularly in the region. This is the strongest earthquake to hit since November 4th, 2025, when a 6 magnitude earthquake hit 68 km (42 mi) further north-northwest. That was also the heaviest earthquake to hit the region in the past 10 years.

In total, 6 earthquakes with a magnitude of 5.7 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 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 5.7. Earthquakes of this strength are unlikely to trigger a tsunami.	This earthquake occurred at a depth of of 14 km (8 mi). Earthquakes this shallow could trigger a tsunami.

Sources

Last updated 02/02/26 02:28 (). This article contains currently available information about the earthquake and is automatically composed. We continue to update this article up to a few days after the earthquake occurred.