Guam shaken by 7.1 earthquake

September 30, 2007

Guam - A 7.1 magnitude earthquake hit near the Pacific Ocean island of Guam, the Japan Meteorological Agency has reported.

Guam's Pacific Daily News said the undersea earthquake could be felt in high-rise buildings on the island, which is home to a major U.S. military base.

The quake struck at around 0209 GMT and its epicentre was in the southern part of the Mariana Islands, the agency said in a statement.

The agency said there was likely to be no risk of a destructive tsunami in areas away from the epicenter.

The focus of the quake was some 19 miles deep, the agency said.

From the U.S. Geological Survey, National Earthquake Information Center:

Magnitude 7.1
Date-Time Friday, September 28, 2007 at 13:38:58 UTC
Friday, September 28, 2007 at 11:38:58 PM at epicenter
Time of Earthquake in other Time Zones
Location 21.980°N, 142.685°E
Depth 261.3 km (162.4 miles)
Region MARIANA ISLANDS REGION
Distances 280 km (175 miles) NW of Farallon de Pajaros, N. Mariana Islands
340 km (210 miles) SSE of Iwo-jima, Volcano Islands, Japan
810 km (510 miles) NNW of SAIPAN, Northern Mariana Islands
960 km (600 miles) NNW of HAGATNA, Guam
Location Uncertainty horizontal +/- 5.5 km (3.4 miles); depth +/- 15 km (9.3 miles)
Parameters Nst= 99, Nph= 99, Dmin=956.3 km, Rmss=0.78 sec, Gp= 29°,
M-type=moment magnitude (Mw), Version=8