Country profile · USGS ComCat
Earthquakes in Federated States of Micronesia
Federated States of Micronesia has catalogued 59 M4+ earthquakes since 2005 (ranked 96th of 187 countries), with the strongest reaching magnitude M7.8.
Federated States of Micronesia ranks 96th of 187 countries by catalogued seismic activity - a country with limited but non-zero seismic activity, averaging about 3 M4+ events a year alongside 8 significant M6+ earthquakes since 1900. Severity outweighs frequency here: 25% of its M6+ record sits at M7 or above.
- 59
- M4+ events (since 2005)
- 8
- Major M6+ (since 1900)
- M7.8
- Strongest
- ~3
- M4+ per year
The verdict
Federated States of Micronesia is below the global median in catalogued seismic activity, with 59 M4+ earthquakes logged since 2005 and 8 major M6+ events since 1900, the strongest reaching magnitude 7.8.
- 2014
- busiest year (2 major events)
- 20 km
- average recorded event depth
- 100%
- of events are shallow (<70 km, the most damaging kind)
Average catalogued magnitude is 4.8 - most events are moderate M4-5 tremors that are felt but rarely cause damage. On the M4+ activity ladder Zambia sits immediately above at 62 events and Dominica sits immediately below at 55.
USGS event tape strip
Event tape FEDERATED-ST · Federated States of Micronesia M4+ · 96th/187
Federated States of Micronesia · 59 M4+ · max M7.8 · 8 M6+
- BAND 59
- STRIP 96th/187
- BOOK M7.8
- RANK 8
- MAX near Zambia
- M6 100% shallow
Stamps derive from this country's USGS ComCat row (M4+ book, rank, peak magnitude, M6+ record, ladder neighbour, depth/peak year), not a hazard forecast. PlainQuake is informational only - not professional advice and not a substitute for official USGS guidance. See our disclaimer. Verify with USGS ComCat → · Read with methodology → · How earthquakes are measured → · Reading earthquake data → · All country catalog rows → · Countries ranked →
Observed impact record
What ComCat observed after earthquakes in Federated States of Micronesia
USGS recorded Modified Mercalli Intensity (MMI) for 2 events in this catalogued record; their average observed intensity was MMI 2.0. These are only events with an observation, not an estimate of future shaking or a safety rating.
- MMI observations
- 2
- Average observed MMI
- 2.0
- PAGER alerts / tsunami flags
- 2 / 1
Source: USGS Comprehensive Earthquake Catalog (ComCat) GeoJSON impact fields. Missing MMI, alert, and tsunami values remain unreported rather than being treated as zero.
Where Federated States of Micronesia sits in the catalog
Rank 96th of 187 tracked countries (48th percentile by M4+ count since 2005). On the M4+ activity ladder Zambia sits immediately above at 62 events and Dominica sits immediately below at 55.
Same M4+ count, broken by peak magnitude
2 tracked countries share Federated States of Micronesia's exact count of 59 M4+ events since 2005. Among that cohort, Federated States of Micronesia ranks 1st of 2 by strongest recorded magnitude (M6.3).
| Country | M4+ count | Strongest |
|---|---|---|
| Federated States of Micronesia (this page) | 59 | M6.3 |
| Mozambique | 59 | M5.6 |
Major (M6+) earthquakes in Federated States of Micronesia by year
Count of significant (magnitude 6.0+) events catalogued each year
- 1911
1911: 1 major (M6+) events
1
- 1913
1913: 1 major (M6+) events
1
- 1929
1929: 1 major (M6+) events
1
- 1959
1959: 1 major (M6+) events
1
- 1984
1984: 1 major (M6+) events
1
- 1988
1988: 1 major (M6+) events
1
- 2014
2014: 2 major (M6+) events
2
What this shows Federated States of Micronesia's most active year for major earthquakes was 2014 (2 M6+ events). Major-quake counts are irregular, they track the episodic release of tectonic stress, not a smooth trend.
2 of 59 catalogued M4+ events since 2005 reached M6.0 or higher.
Magnitude distribution of major events
Breakdown of the 8 significant (M6+) earthquakes on record for Federated States of Micronesia.
M7.0-7.9
2
25.0%
M6.0-6.9
6
75.0%
Depth of major earthquakes
Hypocentral depth of the 8 M6+ events, shallow quakes shake the surface hardest. Average depth: 20 km.
Shallow (<70 km)
8
100.0% of events
Intermediate (70–300 km)
0
0.0% of events
Deep (>300 km)
0
0.0% of events
Strongest earthquakes in Federated States of Micronesia
The 8 most powerful events on record (USGS, since 1900).
| Mag | Location | Depth | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7.8 | State of Yap, Federated States of Micronesia | 15.0 km | Aug 16, 1911 |
| 7.0 | State of Yap, Federated States of Micronesia | 10.0 km | Nov 15, 1929 |
| 6.6 | State of Yap, Federated States of Micronesia | 14.6 km | Jul 3, 1988 |
| 6.5 | State of Yap, Federated States of Micronesia | 35.0 km | Feb 7, 1913 |
| 6.3 | State of Yap, Federated States of Micronesia | 11.0 km | May 15, 2014 |
| 6.1 | State of Yap, Federated States of Micronesia | 35.0 km | Mar 12, 1959 |
| 6.1 | State of Yap, Federated States of Micronesia | 10.0 km | May 14, 2014 |
| 6.1 | State of Yap, Federated States of Micronesia | 30.3 km | Jan 19, 1984 |
Significant earthquake record (8 events)
Every catalogued magnitude-6.0-and-above earthquake in Federated States of Micronesia since 1900, most recent first.
| Mag | Location | Depth | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6.3 | State of Yap, Federated States of Micronesia | 11.0 km | May 15, 2014 |
| 6.1 | State of Yap, Federated States of Micronesia | 10.0 km | May 14, 2014 |
| 6.6 | State of Yap, Federated States of Micronesia | 14.6 km | Jul 3, 1988 |
| 6.1 | State of Yap, Federated States of Micronesia | 30.3 km | Jan 19, 1984 |
| 6.1 | State of Yap, Federated States of Micronesia | 35.0 km | Mar 12, 1959 |
| 7.0 | State of Yap, Federated States of Micronesia | 10.0 km | Nov 15, 1929 |
| 6.5 | State of Yap, Federated States of Micronesia | 35.0 km | Feb 7, 1913 |
| 7.8 | State of Yap, Federated States of Micronesia | 15.0 km | Aug 16, 1911 |
Other countries in this catalog sample
A Federated States of Micronesia-keyed shuffle of the full 186-country roster, not the six nearest by count.
Saint Kitts and Nevis
23 M4+ events · strongest M4.8
Oman
44 M4+ events · strongest M5.4
Antigua and Barbuda
129 M4+ events · strongest M6.6
United Kingdom
10 M4+ events · strongest M4.8
Maldives
5 M4+ events · strongest M4.9
Palestinian Territory
3 M4+ events · strongest M4.5
Peak-magnitude sample from the same roster
A second Federated States of Micronesia-keyed shuffle of countries with a recorded max magnitude.
Showing 6 of 186 countries with a recorded max magnitude.
According to the US Geological Survey Earthquake Hazards Program, PlainQuake's figures are rendered directly from 317,293 recorded M4+ earthquakes and 14,444 significant M6+ events (USGS ComCat, 2005-present) -- no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of 2026-08-26.