M5.5 Earthquake 156 km NE of Fais, Micronesia — May 5, 2024
2024-05-05 05:44:24 UTC (2024-05-05) · approx. 2:44 PM UTC+9 local
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On May 5, 2024 at 05:44 UTC, a magnitude 5.5 shallow crustal earthquake struck 156 km NE of Fais, Micronesia, at a depth of 45.4 km and coordinates 10.9361°, 141.3275°. The USGS PAGER system issued a green alert level for this event, indicating no significant casualties or damage expected. This earthquake was detected by 105 seismic stations with excellent location accuracy and was assigned a USGS significance rating of 465, placing it among routine seismic activity. The nearest populated place is Fais (population 215).
Physical scale: An earthquake of magnitude 5.5 releases seismic energy equivalent to roughly 3 kilotons of TNT. Empirical fault-scaling laws (Wells & Coppersmith, 1994) estimate the subsurface rupture length at approximately 3.8 km — a useful intuition for the size of the slip patch on the fault.
Nearest Populated Places
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
Earthquake Details
141.3275°E
Technical Information
Common Questions
How strong was the magnitude 5.5 earthquake near Fais, Micronesia?
The magnitude 5.5 earthquake that struck 156 km NE of Fais, Micronesia on May 5, 2024 at 05:44 UTC had a depth of 45.4 km. For context, this was a moderate earthquake that could be widely felt.
Where did the earthquake occur?
The earthquake epicenter was located at 10.9361°, 141.3275°, which is 156 km NE of Fais, Micronesia. The nearest populated place is Fais (population 215).
Were there aftershocks?
Aftershock activity is monitored continuously by the USGS. Aftershock sequences from magnitude 5.5 earthquakes can continue for days to weeks and gradually diminish over time.
Actions
Authoritative source: USGS event page (event ID: us6000mwf5). All scientific values on this page are sourced verbatim from the USGS feed.
Cite this page: EarthquakeTracker.org. (2024, May 5, 2024). M5.5 Earthquake 156 km NE of Fais, Micronesia — May 5, 2024. Retrieved April 20, 2026 from https://www.earthquaketracker.org/earthquakes/event/us6000mwf5/