M4.8 Earthquake 31 km N of Saipan, Northern Mariana Islands — January 20, 2025
2025-01-20 23:26:07 UTC (2025-01-20) · approx. 9:26 AM UTC+10 local
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On January 20, 2025 at 23:26 UTC, a magnitude 4.8 intermediate depth earthquake struck 31 km N of Saipan, Northern Mariana Islands, at a depth of 131.7 km and coordinates 15.4897°, 145.7051°.0 This earthquake was detected by 55 seismic stations with good location accuracy and was assigned a USGS significance rating of 354, placing it among routine seismic activity.
Physical scale: An earthquake of magnitude 4.8 releases seismic energy equivalent to roughly 239 metric tons of TNT. Empirical fault-scaling laws (Wells & Coppersmith, 1994) estimate the subsurface rupture length at approximately 1.2 km — 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 submitted 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
145.7051°E
Technical Information
Common Questions
How strong was the magnitude 4.8 earthquake near Saipan, Northern Mariana Islands?
The magnitude 4.8 earthquake that struck 31 km N of Saipan, Northern Mariana Islands on January 20, 2025 at 23:26 UTC had a depth of 131.7 km. For context, this was a light earthquake commonly felt near the epicenter.
Where did the earthquake occur?
The earthquake epicenter was located at 15.4897°, 145.7051°, which is 31 km N of Saipan, Northern Mariana Islands.
Were there aftershocks?
Aftershock activity is monitored continuously by the USGS. Aftershock sequences from magnitude 4.8 earthquakes can continue for several days and gradually diminish over time.
Actions
Authoritative source: USGS event page (event ID: us6000plc2). All scientific values on this page are sourced verbatim from the USGS feed.
Cite this page: EarthquakeTracker.org. (2025, January 20, 2025). M4.8 Earthquake 31 km N of Saipan, Northern Mariana Islands — January 20, 2025. Retrieved March 29, 2025 from https://www.earthquaketracker.org/earthquakes/event/us6000plc2/