M4.6 Earthquake 15 km SW of Saipan, Northern Mariana Islands — October 5, 2022
2022-10-05 23:48:40 UTC (2022-10-05) · approx. 9:48 AM UTC+10 local
Felt by 3 people across nearby locations.
On October 5, 2022 at 23:48 UTC, a magnitude 4.6 intermediate depth earthquake struck 15 km SW of Saipan, Northern Mariana Islands, at a depth of 118.9 km and coordinates 15.1285°, 145.6445°. This earthquake was detected by 75 seismic stations with excellent location accuracy and was assigned a USGS significance rating of 326, placing it among routine seismic activity.
Physical scale: An earthquake of magnitude 4.6 releases seismic energy equivalent to roughly 120 metric tons of TNT. Empirical fault-scaling laws (Wells & Coppersmith, 1994) estimate the subsurface rupture length at approximately 899 m — a useful intuition for the size of the slip patch on the fault.
Did You Feel It? — community-reported shaking
Aggregated felt-report intensity from 3 citizen responses to the USGS Did You Feel It? system. Each colored zone represents the average MMI from reports in that area.
Source: U.S. Geological Survey Did You Feel It?. View on USGS · submit your own report
Earthquake Details
145.6445°E
Technical Information
Common Questions
How strong was the magnitude 4.6 earthquake near Saipan, Northern Mariana Islands?
The magnitude 4.6 earthquake that struck 15 km SW of Saipan, Northern Mariana Islands on October 5, 2022 at 23:48 UTC had a depth of 118.9 km. For context, this was a light earthquake commonly felt near the epicenter.
Where did the earthquake occur?
The earthquake epicenter was located at 15.1285°, 145.6445°, which is 15 km SW of Saipan, Northern Mariana Islands.
Were there aftershocks?
Aftershock activity is monitored continuously by the USGS. Aftershock sequences from magnitude 4.6 earthquakes can continue for several days and gradually diminish over time.
Actions
Authoritative source: USGS event page (event ID: us6000ir99). All scientific values on this page are sourced verbatim from the USGS feed.
Cite this page: EarthquakeTracker.org. (2022, October 5, 2022). M4.6 Earthquake 15 km SW of Saipan, Northern Mariana Islands — October 5, 2022. Retrieved December 10, 2022 from https://www.earthquaketracker.org/earthquakes/event/us6000ir99/