A shallow and significant M5.3 earthquake struck in the North Pacific Ocean 112 kilometer from Dededo Village, Guam in the early afternoon of Sunday September 20th, 2026. Another nearby country is Northern Mariana Islands.
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Earthquake Summary
This earthquake hit under water in the North Pacific Ocean, 107 kilometers (66 mi) off the coast of Guam, 112 kilometer south-east 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: | Sep 20, 2026 13:43 (Guam Time) - Sep 20, 2026 03:43 Universal Time. |
|---|---|
| Location: | 112 km SE of Dededo Village, Dededo, Guam. Coordinates 13°3'24"N 145°45'33"E. |
| Map: |  Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps. |
| Magnitude: | MAG 5.3 Detected by 44 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.087 . |
| 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
This earthquake struck within proximity of multiple countries. Guam and Northern Mariana Islands are both within 300km distance of its epicenter.
The closest significant population center near the earthquake is Yigo Village in Yigo, Guam. Yigo Village is located 108 kilometer (67 mi) south-east of the epicenter.
A complete list of nearby places is included below.
Overview of nearby places
| Distance | Place |
|---|---|
| 108 km (67 mi) NW from epicenter |
Yigo Village Yigo, Guam. |
| 112 km (70 mi) NW from epicenter |
Dededo Village Dededo, Guam. |
| 112 km (70 mi) W from epicenter |
Mangilao Village Mangilao, Guam. |
| 116 km (72 mi) NW from epicenter |
Tamuning Tamuning, Guam. |
| 116 km (72 mi) NW from epicenter |
Tamuning-Tumon-Harmon Village Tamuning, Guam. |
| 119 km (74 mi) NW from epicenter |
Hagåtña Hagatna, Guam. |
| 119 km (74 mi) W from epicenter |
Guam Government House Hagatna, Guam. |
| 240 km (149 mi) N from epicenter |
Saipan Saipan, Northern Mariana Islands. |
Aftershocks detected
This main shock was followed by 1 smaller aftershock. A 4.9 magnitude earthquake hit 3 hrs later 24 km (15 mi) north of this earthquake.
Overview of foreshocks and aftershocks
| Classification | Magnitude | When | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| Main Shock This Earthquake |
M 5.3 |
Sep 20, 2026 13:43 (Guam Time) | - |
| Aftershock | M 4.9 |
3 hrs later Sep 20, 2026 16:47 (Guam Time) | 24 km (15 mi) N 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 happen often in the region
Earthquakes of this strength are very common in the region. This is the strongest earthquake to hit since February 12th, 2026, when a 5.4 magnitude earthquake hit 147 km (92 mi) further northwest. An even stronger magnitude 6.1 earthquake struck on August 14th, 2023.
In total, 49 earthquakes with a magnitude of 5.3 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 5.3. 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 20/09/26 09:58 (). 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 us7000tinl
- European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20260920_0000049
- Geonames.org: World Cities Database
- Google Maps: Static API
- Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database
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