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M5.1 Earthquake near 172 km ESE of Saipan, Northern Mariana Islands

UTC time: 2026-09-16 08:37:00 UTC Local time: —
Earthquake newsQuakeMap24
First published: Content updated:

Automatically generated from measurement data by QuakeMap24. Values may change after further analysis.

Magnitude
M5.1
Depth
10.0 km
Source
USGS

172 km ESE of Saipan, Northern Mariana Islands

Map

M5.1 Earthquake near 172 km ESE of Saipan, Northern Mariana Islands · 2026-09-16 — Map showing the location of the epicenter
M5.1 Earthquake near 172 km ESE of Saipan, Northern Mariana Islands · 2026-09-16 — Map showing the location of the epicenter

About this earthquake

On September 16, 2026 at 08:37 UTC, a magnitude M5.1 earthquake occurred near 172 km ESE of Saipan, Northern Mariana Islands. With a focal depth of about 10 km, this was a shallow earthquake, whose shaking is usually felt more strongly at the surface. Earthquakes of this magnitude can damage poorly built structures.

The event was recorded by USGS.

Details

ID
aea02e246749210b5483f1d9e62e76209e95d5ed
Magnitude
M5.1
Depth
10.0 km
UTC time
2026-09-16 08:37:00 UTC
Local time
—
Country
—
Source
usgs
Coordinates
14.38860, 147.11410
Temperature
28.5°C

Depth profile

Depth profile Depth: 10 km (Shallow) Surface Shallow Intermediate Deep 0 km 70 km 300 km 700 km 10 km
Shallow
10 km
Why depth matters

Shallow quakes release energy near the surface — shaking is felt more strongly and damage potential is higher.

Depth classes per USGS

Official USGS aftershock forecast

Probability of at least one aftershock at or above the specified magnitude during the entire stated time window. This does not predict an individual earthquake.

Issued: Oct 5, 2026, 8:37 AM UTC · Last checked: Oct 5, 2026, 5:07 PM UTC

Updates are delayed. The last successfully retrieved data are shown.

Oct 5, 2026, 9:00 AM UTC – Oct 6, 2026, 9:00 AM UTC · Expired
MagnitudeProbability ≥ 1Count (95% interval)
M ≥ 3.05.13 %0–1
M ≥ 4.00.56 %0–0
M ≥ 5.00.06 %0–0
M ≥ 6.0< 0.01 %0–0
M ≥ 7.0< 0.01 %0–0
Oct 5, 2026, 9:00 AM UTC – Oct 12, 2026, 9:00 AM UTC · Expired
MagnitudeProbability ≥ 1Count (95% interval)
M ≥ 3.022.31 %0–3
M ≥ 4.03.31 %0–1
M ≥ 5.00.35 %0–0
M ≥ 6.00.04 %0–0
M ≥ 7.0< 0.01 %0–0
Oct 5, 2026, 9:00 AM UTC – Nov 4, 2026, 9:00 AM UTC
MagnitudeProbability ≥ 1Count (95% interval)
M ≥ 3.043.07 %0–7
M ≥ 4.09.22 %0–1
M ≥ 5.01.08 %0–0
M ≥ 6.00.11 %0–0
M ≥ 7.00.01 %0–0
Oct 5, 2026, 9:00 AM UTC – Oct 5, 2027, 9:00 AM UTC
MagnitudeProbability ≥ 1Count (95% interval)
M ≥ 3.069.05 %0–24
M ≥ 4.024.25 %0–3
M ≥ 5.03.72 %0–1
M ≥ 6.00.40 %0–0
M ≥ 7.00.04 %0–0

The range is the 95% forecast interval for the number of earthquakes. Magnitude thresholds and time windows overlap: do not add the values. Windows already in progress still refer to the entire stated period.

Source: USGS — Operational Aftershock Forecast

Estimated impact

2 Felt reports · max reported intensity 2

Tectonic context

Located on the Mariana Plate.
Near the boundary Mariana ↔ Pacific · about 15 km away

Nearby population centers

Distances are straight-line distances from the epicenter. Population data: GeoNames.

PlaceDistanceDirectionPopulation
Saipan172.5 kmNW48'220

GeoNames · CC BY 4.0

Volcanoes nearby

  • Esmeralda Bank
    Distance: 210 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: -74 m ·United States
  • Ruby
    Distance: 214 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: -174 m ·Last eruption: 2023 ·United States
  • East Diamante
    Distance: 231 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: -127 m ·United States
  • NW Rota-1
    Distance: 253 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: -455 m ·Last eruption: 2010 ·United States
  • Anatahan
    Distance: 267 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: 790 m ·Last eruption: 2008 ·United States
  • South Sarigan Seamount
    Distance: 283 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: -184 m ·Last eruption: 2010 ·United States

Comparison of seismic sources

4 sources currently report magnitudes from M5.1 to M5.1.

Measurements can differ because agencies use different networks and calculation methods. Values may be revised.

SourceMagnitudeDepthPosition difference
EMSCM5.110.0 km0.0 km
ISCM5.110.0 km0.0 km
USGSM5.110.0 km0.0 km
GFZM5.110.0 km32.8 km

No unambiguous area assignment

Context for this earthquake

This event has no unambiguous country assignment in the analysed catalogue. It is therefore not assigned to a regional profile.

Earthquake overview

Historical context nearby

Comparison with recorded earthquakes before this event within 150 km.

Magnitude rank#5
Earlier events M≥425
Earlier events M≥57
Compared since2025-01-10

The QuakeMap24 comparison dataset begins on 2024-03-23. Earlier earthquakes may not be included.

Strongest earlier events

M5.92025-12-15 23:06:18 UTC131.9 kmMariana Islands M5.82025-12-15 23:06:04 UTC144.9 kmEvent of magnitude 5.8, near of Jayapura (Monde) M5.72025-12-15 23:06:15 UTC137.4 km72 km SSE of San Jose Village, Northern Mariana Islands M5.62025-12-15 23:06:14 UTC130.6 kmNorthern Mariana Islands-Guam [Sea] M5.12025-04-03 18:42:57 UTC32.4 km160 km ESE of San Jose Village, Northern Mariana Islands

Stats (last 24h)

Global (24h)
599
Country (24h)
—
—
Current earthquakes in
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