3 quakes jolt Marianas
At least three earthquakes jolted the Marianas last week, with the strongest one having a magnitude of 5.5.
The tremors happened last Thursday and Friday, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. The Emergency Management Office reported no casualty from those incidents.
The first quake last week measured 4.9 on the Richter scale. The USGS recorded the event at 5:34pm Thursday, locating it at about 55 miles southeast of Rota, 60 miles east of Guam, 120 miles south of Saipan and 200 miles south of Anatahan. The quake had a depth of about 35 kilometers.
At about 5:24am the following day, another quake shook the Marianas, the intensity of which was estimated at 4.7.
The USGS located that quake at about 55 miles south-southeast of Rota, 60 miles east of Guam, 115 miles south of Saipan and 195 miles south of Anatahan. The USGS estimated the quake’s depth at 51.9 kilometers.
The 5.5-strong quake happened at about 7:31am Friday. The USGS estimated the temblor’s location at about 25 miles southeast of Guam, 65 miles south of Rota, 145 miles south-southwest of Saipan and 220 miles south of Anatahan.
Last April 1, a 4.6-strong quake shook the Northern Islands. The USGS recorded the quake at about 2:01am and located its epicenter at about 55 miles north-northwest of Agrihan, 75 miles south-southeast of Farallon de Pajaros, and about 300 miles north of Saipan. (John Ravelo)
