M5.0 earthquake near Saipan, Saipan

What happened

A magnitude 5 earthquake struck 128 km N of Saipan, Northern Mariana Islands on 17 Dec 2016, 21:17 UTC at a depth of 130 km.

Earthquakes of this size are classed as Moderate. Can damage poorly built structures close to the epicentre. This was an intermediate-depth earthquake, so shaking is spread over a wider, gentler area.

The nearest town in our records is Saipan, about 129 km away in Saipan, Northern Mariana Islands.