M5.6 Earthquake 209 km N of Saipan, Northern Mariana Islands — July 25, 2023
2023-07-25 10:35:18 UTC (2023-07-25) · approx. 8:35 PM UTC+10 local
Felt by 8 people across nearby locations.
On July 25, 2023 at 10:35 UTC, a magnitude 5.6 deep-focus earthquake struck 209 km N of Saipan, Northern Mariana Islands, at a depth of 378.9 km and coordinates 17.0901°, 145.5391°. The earthquake was reported felt by 8 peopleacross nearby locations, with a maximum shaking intensity of Modified Mercalli Intensity (MMI) 2.4 (weak). The USGS PAGER system issued a green alert level for this event, indicating no significant casualties or damage expected. This earthquake was detected by 218 seismic stations with excellent location accuracy and was assigned a USGS significance rating of 485, placing it among routine seismic activity.
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.
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 8 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 |
|---|
Earthquake Details
145.5391°E
Technical Information
Nearby Earthquakes (Last 7 Days)
Common Questions
How strong was the magnitude 5.6 earthquake near Saipan, Northern Mariana Islands?
The magnitude 5.6 earthquake that struck 209 km N of Saipan, Northern Mariana Islands on July 25, 2023 at 10:35 UTC had a depth of 378.9 km. It was felt by 8 people with maximum shaking intensity of MMI 2.4 (weak). For context, this was a moderate earthquake that could be widely felt.
Where did the earthquake occur?
The earthquake epicenter was located at 17.0901°, 145.5391°, which is 209 km N of Saipan, Northern Mariana Islands.
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.
Actions
Authoritative source: USGS event page (event ID: us7000ki6k). All scientific values on this page are sourced verbatim from the USGS feed.
Cite this page: EarthquakeTracker.org. (2023, July 25, 2023). M5.6 Earthquake 209 km N of Saipan, Northern Mariana Islands — July 25, 2023. Retrieved July 9, 2025 from https://www.earthquaketracker.org/earthquakes/event/us7000ki6k/