5.2

M5.2 Earthquake 178 km N of Saipan, Northern Mariana Islands — March 20, 2021

2021-03-20 19:41:01 UTC (2021-03-20) · approx. 5:41 AM UTC+10 local

Felt by 2 people across nearby locations.

MagnitudeM5.2(mb)
Time19:41 UTC≈ 5:41 AM UTC+10
Depth176.2 kmintermediate depth
Coordinates16.826°, 145.687°
Felt by2DYFI responses
Status✓ Reviewed by USGS

On March 20, 2021 at 19:41 UTC, a magnitude 5.2 intermediate depth earthquake struck 178 km N of Saipan, Northern Mariana Islands, at a depth of 176.2 km and coordinates 16.8263°, 145.6869°.

Physical scale: An earthquake of magnitude 5.2 releases seismic energy equivalent to roughly 951 metric tons of TNT. Empirical fault-scaling laws (Wells & Coppersmith, 1994) estimate the subsurface rupture length at approximately 2.3 km — a useful intuition for the size of the slip patch on the fault.

Map showing earthquake epicenter at 16.83°, 145.69°

Did You Feel It? — community-reported shaking

Aggregated felt-report intensity from 2 citizen responses to the USGS Did You Feel It? system. Each colored zone represents the average MMI from reports in that area.

USGS DYFI community-reported intensity map for the M5.2 earthquake near 178 km N of Saipan, Northern Mariana Islands

Source: U.S. Geological Survey Did You Feel It?. View on USGS · submit your own report

Earthquake Details

Magnitude
5.2 mb
Depth
176.2 km
intermediate depth
Location
16.8263°N
145.6869°E
Felt Reports
2
DYFI responses
Community Intensity
4.5
CDI from reports

Technical Information

Event ID
us7000dla9
Event Type
earthquake
Status
✓ Reviewed
Significance
417
Azimuthal Gap
58.0°
Min Station Distance
1.586°
RMS Residual
0.90 sec
Last Updated
2025-12-22 18:54:54 UTC

Common Questions

How strong was the magnitude 5.2 earthquake near Saipan, Northern Mariana Islands?

The magnitude 5.2 earthquake that struck 178 km N of Saipan, Northern Mariana Islands on March 20, 2021 at 19:41 UTC had a depth of 176.2 km. For context, this was a moderate earthquake that could be widely felt.

Where did the earthquake occur?

The earthquake epicenter was located at 16.8263°, 145.6869°, which is 178 km N of Saipan, Northern Mariana Islands.

Were there aftershocks?

Aftershock activity is monitored continuously by the USGS. Aftershock sequences from magnitude 5.2 earthquakes can continue for days to weeks and gradually diminish over time.

Actions

View on USGSDid You Feel It?

Authoritative source: USGS event page (event ID: us7000dla9). All scientific values on this page are sourced verbatim from the USGS feed.

Cite this page: EarthquakeTracker.org. (2021, March 20, 2021). M5.2 Earthquake 178 km N of Saipan, Northern Mariana Islands — March 20, 2021. Retrieved December 22, 2025 from https://www.earthquaketracker.org/earthquakes/event/us7000dla9/