M5.6 Earthquake in the Pagan region, Northern Mariana Islands — December 10, 2023
2023-12-10 14:11:37 UTC (2023-12-10) · approx. 12:11 AM UTC+10 local
Maximum shaking intensity MMI 4.1 (moderate).
On December 10, 2023 at 14:11 UTC, a magnitude 5.6 intermediate depth earthquake struck in the Pagan region, Northern Mariana Islands, at a depth of 95.0 km and coordinates 18.8214°, 146.0987°. The USGS PAGER system issued a green alert level for this event, indicating no significant casualties or damage expected. This earthquake was detected by 110 seismic stations with excellent location accuracy and was assigned a USGS significance rating of 482, 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
Earthquake Details
146.0987°E
Technical Information
Nearby Earthquakes (Last 7 Days)
Common Questions
How strong was the magnitude 5.6 earthquake in the Pagan region, Northern Mariana Islands?
The magnitude 5.6 earthquake that struck in the Pagan region, Northern Mariana Islands on December 10, 2023 at 14:11 UTC had a depth of 95.0 km. For context, this was a moderate earthquake that could be widely felt.
Where did the earthquake occur?
The earthquake epicenter was located at 18.8214°, 146.0987°, which is in the Pagan region, Northern Mariana Islands.
Were there aftershocks?
Aftershock activity is monitored continuously by the USGS. Aftershock sequences from magnitude 5.6 earthquakes can continue for days to weeks and gradually diminish over time.
Actions
Authoritative source: USGS event page (event ID: us7000lhxd). All scientific values on this page are sourced verbatim from the USGS feed.
Cite this page: EarthquakeTracker.org. (2023, December 10, 2023). M5.6 Earthquake in the Pagan region, Northern Mariana Islands — December 10, 2023. Retrieved November 24, 2025 from https://www.earthquaketracker.org/earthquakes/event/us7000lhxd/