M6.1 Earthquake in the Mariana Islands region — August 14, 2023
2023-08-14 13:51:53 UTC (2023-08-14) · approx. 11:51 PM UTC+10 local
Felt by 9 people across nearby locations.
On August 14, 2023 at 13:51 UTC, a magnitude 6.1 shallow crustal earthquake struck in the Mariana Islands region, at a depth of 8.0 km and coordinates 13.3470°, 147.5297°. The earthquake was reported felt by 9 peopleacross nearby locations, with a maximum shaking intensity of Modified Mercalli Intensity (MMI) 3.2 (light). The USGS PAGER system issued a green alert level for this event, indicating no significant casualties or damage expected. This earthquake was detected by 188 seismic stations with excellent location accuracy and was assigned a USGS significance rating of 576, placing it among routine seismic activity.
Physical scale: An earthquake of magnitude 6.1 releases seismic energy equivalent to roughly 21 kilotons of TNT. Empirical fault-scaling laws (Wells & Coppersmith, 1994) estimate the subsurface rupture length at approximately 9.7 km — a useful intuition for the size of the slip patch on the fault.
ShakeMap — predicted shaking intensity
Modeled ground-motion intensity contoured on the Modified Mercalli scale (MMI). Computed by the USGS from the moment-tensor solution and regional ground-motion prediction equations.
Source: U.S. Geological Survey ShakeMap. View interactive ShakeMap on USGS
Did You Feel It? — community-reported shaking
Aggregated felt-report intensity from 9 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
Population exposure (USGS PAGER)
Estimated population that experienced each level of shaking. Based on the USGS PAGER rapid impact assessment, which combines ShakeMap output with global population grids.
| Shaking intensity (MMI) | Description | Population exposed |
|---|---|---|
| MMI 3 | weak | 3,125 |
Earthquake Details
147.5297°E
Technical Information
Nearby Earthquakes (Last 7 Days)
Common Questions
How strong was the magnitude 6.1 earthquake in the Mariana Islands region?
The magnitude 6.1 earthquake that struck in the Mariana Islands region on August 14, 2023 at 13:51 UTC had a depth of 8.0 km. It was felt by 9 people with maximum shaking intensity of MMI 3.2 (light). For context, this was a strong earthquake capable of causing significant damage.
Where did the earthquake occur?
The earthquake epicenter was located at 13.3470°, 147.5297°, which is in the Mariana Islands region.
Were there aftershocks?
Aftershock activity is monitored continuously by the USGS. Aftershock sequences from magnitude 6.1 earthquakes can continue for weeks to months and gradually diminish over time.
Actions
Authoritative source: USGS event page (event ID: us6000kzv3). All scientific values on this page are sourced verbatim from the USGS feed.
Cite this page: EarthquakeTracker.org. (2023, August 14, 2023). M6.1 Earthquake in the Mariana Islands region — August 14, 2023. Retrieved July 29, 2025 from https://www.earthquaketracker.org/earthquakes/event/us6000kzv3/