Reviewed by USGSVanuatu118y ago
M6.8 earthquake 4 km S of Sola, Vanuatu
Sunday, June 27, 1909, 07:15:04 UTC · 13.917°S, 167.557°E
A magnitude 6.8 earthquake struck 4 km S of Sola, Vanuatu on Sunday, June 27, 1909, 07:15:04 UTC, at a depth of 15.0 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M7.0 on April 10, 1909.
- Magnitude
- 6.8
- Strong · mw
- Depth
- 15 km
- Shallow
- Felt reports
- 0
- Did You Feel It?
- Est. shaking
- —
- No ShakeMap
- PAGER alert
- None
- Not issued
- Tsunami
- No flag
- USGS feed
Outlined circle: this earthquake
In context
How big was it, and why here?
Energy released
215 kilotons of TNT
That is about 14 times the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 452 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
35 km
from the nearest mapped plate boundary, between the New Hebrides and Pacific plates. Earthquakes cluster along boundaries like this one, where plates collide, pull apart or slide past each other.
Depth: shallow
15 km
Shallow earthquakes (under 70 km) produce the strongest surface shaking for their size, so they are the ones most likely to cause damage near the epicenter.
Did You Feel It?
Where it was felt
No “Did You Feel It?” reports have been published for this event yet. If you felt it, you can add your report on the USGS website.
I felt it — report to USGS ↗USGS PAGER estimate
Who was exposed to shaking
USGS publishes PAGER impact estimates for significant earthquakes, usually within an hour. No PAGER estimate is available for this event.
After the main event
Aftershocks within 100 km
USGS has not published any M2.5+ earthquake within 100 km in the 30 days after this event.
Regional history
Past M5+ earthquakes within 300 km
USGS lists 4 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 7.3207 km E of Sola, VanuatuFebruary 19, 1905 · 206 km E of this epicenter
- 7.1157 km E of Lakatoro, VanuatuOctober 11, 1907 · 287 km SE of this epicenter
- 7.046 km WNW of Port-Olry, VanuatuApril 10, 1909 · 137 km SW of this epicenter
- 6.661 km NW of Port-Olry, VanuatuJune 27, 1907 · 119 km SW of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 3 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700. The most severe:
- 1909
Espiritu Santo
8 Jul 1909 · 180 km away
Moderate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 1892
Espiritu Santo
Aug 1892 · 168 km away
tsunami
- 1905
Malo Pass
19 Mar 1905 · 191 km away
tsunami
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.