September 22, 1902 Earthquake: Agana, Guam, US Territories

Name: September 22, 1902 Earthquake: Agana, Guam, US Territories
Start: 1902-09-22
Location: Agana, Guam, US Territories

September 22, 1902 · M8.1

A magnitude 8.1 earthquake struck Agana, Guam, US Territories on September 22, 1902 at 01:46:30 UTC, 33 km below the surface.

Map

Where it struck, with the other significant earthquakes within 200 km. Circles are sized and colored by magnitude; select one for its page.

The earthquake

Date: September 22, 1902
Time: 01:46:30 UTC
Place: Agana, Guam, US Territories
Magnitude: 8.1 (Ms)
Focal depth: 33 km (21 mi)
Intensity: 9 on the Modified Mercalli scale
Tsunami: None recorded
Epicenter: 18.000° N, 146.000° E
Country: US Territories

The toll

Injuries: Few (about 1 to 50)
Damage: Severe (about $5 to $25 million)

Where the literature gives no number, NCEI records a description on a scale of 1 to 4, printed here in its words. Damage is in millions of US dollars of the year of the event, not adjusted for inflation.

What the record says

NCEI’s account, from the sources it cites.

1902, September 22, 01:46:30 UTC. 18 N, 146 E, shallow depth, magnitude 8.1 MS. (reference #88)

September 22, 1902, Central Marianas, magnitude 8.1 MS. (reference #1002)

1902, September 22. Guam, intensity II-III, 180 shocks experienced in 24 hours. (reference #1060)

1902, September 22. 01:46 UTC, 18 N, 146 E,magnitude 8.1 MS. (reference #1006)

1902, September 22. 22:11:15 [local time], intensity IX. Destructive earthquake which wrecked or damaged very seriously all the buildings at Agafia, Guam. Great fissures opened in the ground and displacements occurred which resulted in the destruction of several bridges. Similar effects are reported from Saipan Island. Personal accidents were limited to a few injured. Aftershocks were very numerous during the first days after the earthquake. (reference #1072)

1902, September. A second disaster struck Guam during Governor Schroeder's administration when an earthquake shook the island in September 1902. An estimated $55,000 dollars in damage was done to public property. (p. 101, reference #10436)

Other significant earthquakes nearby

Within 200 km, the deadliest first.

Significant earthquakes of 1902 The 1900s Every quake the USGS located in 1902 Recent earthquakes near here This day in weather history

Sources

Significant earthquakes from NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information, Global Historical Hazard Database, cited as NCEI/WDS, doi:10.7289/V5PN93H7. Public domain. Read 2026-09-24. NCEI earthquake 2634.