August 14, 2002 Earthquake: Saipan, Northern Mariana Islands, US Territories
A magnitude 6.5 earthquake struck Saipan, Northern Mariana Islands, US Territories on August 14, 2002 at 13:57:52 UTC, 30 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
- August 14, 2002
- Time
- 13:57:52 UTC
- Place
- Saipan, Northern Mariana Islands, US Territories
- Magnitude
- 6.5 (Mw)
- Focal depth
- 30 km (19 mi)
- Tsunami
- None recorded
- Epicenter
- 14.101° N, 146.199° E
- Country
- US Territories
The toll
- Damage
- Limited (under about $1 million)
- Houses damaged
- Few (about 1 to 50)
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.
Minor damage to some buildings on Saipan. Felt strongly on Guam. (reference #1053)
Other significant earthquakes nearby
Within 200 km, the deadliest first.
More
Significant earthquakes of 2002The 2000sEvery quake the USGS located in 2002Recent 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 5643.