April 23, 1997 Earthquake: Guam, US Territories
A magnitude 6.5 earthquake struck Guam, US Territories on April 23, 1997 at 19:44:28 UTC, 101 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
- April 23, 1997
- Time
- 19:44:28 UTC
- Place
- Guam, US Territories
- Magnitude
- 6.5 (Mw)
- Focal depth
- 101 km (63 mi)
- Intensity
- 7 on the Modified Mercalli scale
- Tsunami
- None recorded
- Epicenter
- 13.986° N, 144.901° E
- Country
- US Territories
The toll
- Injuries
- 4
- Damage
- Limited (under about $1 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.
Four people injured and some damage to buildings on Guam. Felt (VII) at Inarajan, Merizo and Yona; (VI) in central Guam; (IV) at Dededo and Yigo, Guam. Felt strongly on Rota, Saipan and Tinian. Power outages occurred on Guam and Rota.
Other significant earthquakes nearby
Within 200 km, the deadliest first.
- November 1, 1975, Guam, US Territories
- April 26, 2002, Guam, US Territories
- August 8, 1993, Tuman Bay, Apra Harbor, Guam, US Territories
- August 14, 2002, Saipan, Northern Mariana Islands, US Territories
- October 12, 2001, Guam, US Territories
- December 9, 1909, Guam, US Territories
- 1809, Guam, US Territories
- April 1825, Ladrones Island, Guam, Northern Mariana Islands, US Territories
- May 1834, Agana, Guam, US Territories
- January 25, 1849, Guam, US Territories
- May 16, 1892, Guam, US Territories
- February 10, 1903, Guam, US Territories
More
Significant earthquakes of 1997The 1900sEvery quake the USGS located in 1997Recent earthquakes near hereThis 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 7201.