M5.7 Earthquake in the Maug Islands region, Northern Mariana Islands — March 6, 2021
2021-03-06 18:51:12 UTC (2021-03-06) · approx. 4:51 AM UTC+10 local
On March 6, 2021 at 18:51 UTC, a magnitude 5.7 shallow crustal earthquake struck in the Maug Islands region, Northern Mariana Islands, at a depth of 10.0 km and coordinates 20.8917°, 144.3647°. The USGS PAGER system issued a green alert level for this event, indicating no significant casualties or damage expected.
Physical scale: An earthquake of magnitude 5.7 releases seismic energy equivalent to roughly 5 kilotons of TNT. Empirical fault-scaling laws (Wells & Coppersmith, 1994) estimate the subsurface rupture length at approximately 5.2 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
Earthquake Details
144.3647°E
Technical Information
Common Questions
How strong was the magnitude 5.7 earthquake in the Maug Islands region, Northern Mariana Islands?
The magnitude 5.7 earthquake that struck in the Maug Islands region, Northern Mariana Islands on March 6, 2021 at 18:51 UTC had a depth of 10.0 km. For context, this was a moderate earthquake that could be widely felt.
Where did the earthquake occur?
The earthquake epicenter was located at 20.8917°, 144.3647°, which is in the Maug Islands region, Northern Mariana Islands.
Were there aftershocks?
Aftershock activity is monitored continuously by the USGS. Aftershock sequences from magnitude 5.7 earthquakes can continue for days to weeks and gradually diminish over time.
Actions
Authoritative source: USGS event page (event ID: us7000dgkw). All scientific values on this page are sourced verbatim from the USGS feed.
Cite this page: EarthquakeTracker.org. (2021, March 6, 2021). M5.7 Earthquake in the Maug Islands region, Northern Mariana Islands — March 6, 2021. Retrieved December 22, 2025 from https://www.earthquaketracker.org/earthquakes/event/us7000dgkw/