5.5

M5.5 Earthquake in the Pagan region, Northern Mariana Islands — June 21, 2021

2021-06-21 01:44:11 UTC (2021-06-21) · approx. 11:44 AM UTC+10 local

MagnitudeM5.5(mww)
Time01:44 UTC≈ 11:44 AM UTC+10
Depth223.6 kmintermediate depth
Coordinates18.887°, 145.417°
Felt byNo felt reports
Status✓ Reviewed by USGS· green PAGER
green Alert— no significant casualties or damage expected

On June 21, 2021 at 01:44 UTC, a magnitude 5.5 intermediate depth earthquake struck in the Pagan region, Northern Mariana Islands, at a depth of 223.6 km and coordinates 18.8865°, 145.4174°. 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 5.5 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.

Map showing earthquake epicenter at 18.89°, 145.42°

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.

USGS ShakeMap intensity contours for the M5.5 earthquake near Pagan region, Northern Mariana Islands

Source: U.S. Geological Survey ShakeMap. View interactive ShakeMap on USGS

Earthquake Details

Magnitude
5.5 mww
Depth
223.6 km
intermediate depth
Location
18.8865°N
145.4174°E
Intensity (MMI)
3.2
light

Technical Information

Event ID
us7000eeu6
Event Type
earthquake
Status
✓ Reviewed
Significance
465
Azimuthal Gap
20.0°
Min Station Distance
5.293°
RMS Residual
0.84 sec
Last Updated
2025-12-22 19:02:49 UTC

Common Questions

How strong was the magnitude 5.5 earthquake in the Pagan region, Northern Mariana Islands?

The magnitude 5.5 earthquake that struck in the Pagan region, Northern Mariana Islands on June 21, 2021 at 01:44 UTC had a depth of 223.6 km. For context, this was a moderate earthquake that could be widely felt.

Where did the earthquake occur?

The earthquake epicenter was located at 18.8865°, 145.4174°, which is in the Pagan region, Northern Mariana Islands.

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.

Authoritative source: USGS event page (event ID: us7000eeu6). All scientific values on this page are sourced verbatim from the USGS feed.

Cite this page: EarthquakeTracker.org. (2021, June 21, 2021). M5.5 Earthquake in the Pagan region, Northern Mariana Islands — June 21, 2021. Retrieved December 22, 2025 from https://www.earthquaketracker.org/earthquakes/event/us7000eeu6/