M5.6 Earthquake 90 km SSE of San Jose Village, Northern Mariana Islands — December 15, 2025
2025-12-15 23:06:12 UTC (2025-12-15) · approx. 9:06 AM UTC+10 local
Felt by 32 people across nearby locations.
On December 15, 2025 at 23:06 UTC, a magnitude 5.6 intermediate depth earthquake struck 90 km SSE of San Jose Village, Northern Mariana Islands, at a depth of 80.0 km and coordinates 14.1700°, 145.8188°. The earthquake was reported felt by 32 peopleacross nearby locations, with a maximum shaking intensity of Modified Mercalli Intensity (MMI) 3.9 (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 91 seismic stations with excellent location accuracy and was assigned a USGS significance rating of 496, placing it among routine seismic activity. The nearest populated place is Yigo Village (population 20,539).
Physical scale: An earthquake of magnitude 5.6 releases seismic energy equivalent to roughly 4 kilotons of TNT. Empirical fault-scaling laws (Wells & Coppersmith, 1994) estimate the subsurface rupture length at approximately 4.4 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
Did You Feel It? — community-reported shaking
Aggregated felt-report intensity from 32 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 | 189,721 |
| MMI 4 | light | 35,598 |
Earthquake Details
145.8188°E
Technical Information
Common Questions
How strong was the magnitude 5.6 earthquake near San Jose Village, Northern Mariana Islands?
The magnitude 5.6 earthquake that struck 90 km SSE of San Jose Village, Northern Mariana Islands on December 15, 2025 at 23:06 UTC had a depth of 80.0 km. It was felt by 32 people with maximum shaking intensity of MMI 3.9 (light). For context, this was a moderate earthquake that could be widely felt.
Where did the earthquake occur?
The earthquake epicenter was located at 14.1700°, 145.8188°, which is 90 km SSE of San Jose Village, Northern Mariana Islands. The nearest populated place is Yigo Village (population 20,539).
Were there aftershocks?
Aftershock activity is monitored continuously by the USGS. Aftershock sequences from magnitude 5.6 earthquakes can continue for days to weeks and gradually diminish over time.
What should I do after an earthquake?
If you were in the affected area: check yourself and others for injuries, inspect your home for damage, and be prepared for aftershocks. For detailed guidance, see our earthquake safety guide and emergency planning resources.
Authoritative source: USGS event page (event ID: us6000rv4q). All scientific values on this page are sourced verbatim from the USGS feed.
Cite this page: EarthquakeTracker.org. (2025, December 15, 2025). M5.6 Earthquake 90 km SSE of San Jose Village, Northern Mariana Islands — December 15, 2025. Retrieved May 20, 2026 from https://www.earthquaketracker.org/earthquakes/event/us6000rv4q/