Shallow M5.7 Earthquake struck on Thursday Night in the North Pacific Ocean 252km from Dededo Village (Guam).

Written by Earthquakelist.org on December 24th, 2025. Last updated January 8th, 2026.

In the night of Thursday December 25th, 2025, a shallow and significant Magnitude 5.7 earthquake hit in the North Pacific Ocean 252 kilometer from Dededo Village, Guam. Shaking may have been felt by a total of 150 thousand people.

Earthquake Summary

This earthquake hit under water in the North Pacific Ocean, 220 kilometers (137 mi) off the coast of Guam, 252 kilometer southwest of Dededo Village in Dededo. 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:	Dec 25, 2025 01:00 (Guam Time) - Dec 24, 2025 15:00 Universal Time.
Location:	252 km SW of Dededo Village, Dededo, Guam. Coordinates 11°45'54"N 143°21'50"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:	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 150 thousand people exposed to shaking

This earthquake may have been felt by around 150 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 139,100 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
6,920	II	Very weak	None
139,100	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 . Hagåtña in Hagatna, Guam is the nearest significant place from the epicenter. The earthquake occurred 242 kilometer (150 mi) southwest of Hagåtña. The intensity of shaking and damage in Hagåtña 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)
242 km (150 mi) NE from epicenter	Guam Government House Hagatna, Guam.	III Weak
242 km (150 mi) NE from epicenter	Hagåtña Hagatna, Guam.	III Weak
244 km (152 mi) NE from epicenter	Mangilao Village Mangilao, Guam.	III Weak
246 km (153 mi) NE from epicenter	Tamuning Tamuning, Guam.	III Weak
246 km (153 mi) NE from epicenter	Tamuning-Tumon-Harmon Village Tamuning, Guam.	III Weak
252 km (157 mi) NE from epicenter	Dededo Village Dededo, Guam.	III Weak
257 km (160 mi) NE from epicenter	Yigo Village Yigo, Guam.	III Weak

Earthquake Intensity Map

The maximum intensity (MMI Scale) caused by this earthquake is III. The map below shows in which areas this earthquake was the most and least impactful. It is based on data from the US Geographic Survey.

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.

Aftershocks detected

After this earthquake struck, 1 smaller aftershock occurred. Just 8 hrs after this main shock, an earthquake measuring MAG-5.1 was detected 15 km (9 mi) west 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)	15 km (9 mi) W from Main Shock.

More earthquakes coming?

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 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 74 km (46 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 10 km (6 mi). Earthquakes this shallow could trigger a tsunami.

Sources

Last updated 08/01/26 00:18 (). This article is automatically generated based on available data. We keep checking multiple sources for additional information. This article gets updated as new details on this earthquake become available.