M6.1 Earthquake in the Pagan region, Northern Mariana Islands — January 20, 2024
2024-01-20 15:48:40 UTC (2024-01-20) · approx. 1:48 AM UTC+10 local
Felt by 1 person across nearby locations. Maximum shaking intensity MMI 4.0 (moderate).
On January 20, 2024 at 15:48 UTC, a magnitude 6.1 intermediate depth earthquake struck in the Pagan region, Northern Mariana Islands, at a depth of 184.0 km and coordinates 18.5192°, 145.6341°. The earthquake was reported felt by 1 personacross nearby locations, with a maximum shaking intensity of Modified Mercalli Intensity (MMI) 4.0 (moderate). The USGS PAGER system issued a green alert level for this event, indicating no significant casualties or damage expected. This earthquake was detected by 302 seismic stations with excellent location accuracy and was assigned a USGS significance rating of 573, 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 1 citizen response 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
145.6341°E
Technical Information
Nearby Earthquakes (Last 7 Days)
Common Questions
How strong was the magnitude 6.1 earthquake in the Pagan region, Northern Mariana Islands?
The magnitude 6.1 earthquake that struck in the Pagan region, Northern Mariana Islands on January 20, 2024 at 15:48 UTC had a depth of 184.0 km. It was felt by 1 person with maximum shaking intensity of MMI 4.0 (moderate). For context, this was a strong earthquake capable of causing significant damage.
Where did the earthquake occur?
The earthquake epicenter was located at 18.5192°, 145.6341°, which is in the Pagan region, Northern Mariana Islands.
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: us6000m50e). All scientific values on this page are sourced verbatim from the USGS feed.
Cite this page: EarthquakeTracker.org. (2024, January 20, 2024). M6.1 Earthquake in the Pagan region, Northern Mariana Islands — January 20, 2024. Retrieved January 4, 2026 from https://www.earthquaketracker.org/earthquakes/event/us6000m50e/