M6.6 earthquake near Saipan, Saipan

What happened

A magnitude 6.6 earthquake struck 89 km N of Saipan, Northern Mariana Islands on 5 Feb 2005, 03:34 UTC at a depth of 143 km.

Earthquakes of this size are classed as Strong. Can cause damage in populated areas up to tens of kilometres away. This was an intermediate-depth earthquake, so shaking is spread over a wider, gentler area.

The nearest town in our records is Saipan, about 89 km away in Saipan, Northern Mariana Islands.