M5.0 earthquake 158 km NE of Colonia, Micronesia
A magnitude 5.0 earthquake struck 158 km NE of Colonia, Micronesia on Sat, Mar 14, 1987, 1:25 PM GMT+9 (04:25 UTC), 20 km (12 mi) below the surface.
Map
Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.
The earthquake
- Magnitude
- 5.0 (Mw, moment), moderate
- Magnitude from
- USGS National Earthquake Information Center
- Local time
- UTC
- 1987-03-14 04:25:58 UTC
- Depth
- 19.5 km (12.1 mi), shallow
- Epicenter
- 10.693° N, 138.954° E
- Region
- Micronesia
- Tsunami flag
- No
- Status
- Reviewed by a seismologist
Magnitude estimates
Different scales measure different things and differ by a few tenths. The USGS marks one as preferred, and it is the one this page uses.
| Mag. | Scale | Computed by | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5.0 | Mw, moment | USGS National Earthquake Information Center | Preferred · Reviewed |
| 5.01 | Mw, moment | ISC-GEM global catalog | Final · ±0.1 |
| 5.0 | Mwc, centroid moment | Global CMT project | Preliminary |
What happened
The USGS’s account of the effects of this earthquake.
CENTROID, MOMENT TENSOR (HRV) Data Used: GDSN L.P.B.: 8S, 13C Centroid Location: Origin Time 04:26: 1.3 1.5 Lat 10.38N 0.13 Lon 138.85E 0.15 Dep 15.0 FIX Half-duration 1.3 Moment Tensor; Scale 10**16 Nm Mrr=-3.30 0.37 Mtt=0.05 0.52 Mff=3.25 0.48 Mrt=2.33 1.25 Mrf=-0.35 1.74 Mtf=-1.15 0.40 Principal Axes: (T) Val=3.80 Plg=10 Azm=67 (N) Val=0.70 Plg=24 Azm=333 (P) Val=-4.50 Plg=63 Azm=177 Best Double Couple:Mo=4.1*10**16 NP1:Strike=184 Dip=41 Slip=-51 NP2:Strike=317 Dip=59 Slip=-119
From the USGS event page for usp000339z. U.S. Geological Survey text and figures are in the public domain.
Did you feel it?
No one has reported feeling this quake to the USGS.
How well it is located
Reviewed by a seismologist.
- Depth from
- FROM_LOCATION
Nearby
Within 100 km, magnitude 2.0 and up: 0 in the 60 days after this one and 0 in the 30 days before it.
None recorded.
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Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp000339z (also filed as gcmtb031487a, gcmt19870314042559, iscgem472009). Read Thu, Oct 1, 2026, 5:08 PM UTC.