Reviewed by USGSNew Caledonia118y ago
M6.7 earthquake 220 km E of Tadine, New Caledonia
Wednesday, August 18, 1909, 00:39:29 UTC · 21.443°S, 170.004°E
A magnitude 6.7 earthquake struck 220 km E of Tadine, New Caledonia on Wednesday, August 18, 1909, 00:39:29 UTC, at a depth of 15.0 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M7.2 on November 14, 1906.
- Magnitude
- 6.7
- 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
153 kilotons of TNT
That is about 10 times the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 320 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
85 km
from the nearest mapped plate boundary, between the New Hebrides and Australian 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 6 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 7.2southeast of the Loyalty IslandsNovember 14, 1906 · 206 km SE of this epicenter
- 7.1southeast of the Loyalty IslandsApril 14, 1906 · 166 km SE of this epicenter
- 6.946 km NE of Isangel, VanuatuJune 30, 1905 · 245 km N of this epicenter
- 6.8southeast of the Loyalty IslandsMarch 10, 1906 · 181 km E of this epicenter
- 6.7southeast of the Loyalty IslandsJuly 17, 1905 · 261 km SE of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 2 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 26 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1875M8.1
Loyalty Islands: Lifou Island
28 Mar 1875 · 224 km away
26 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1901M7.9
Loyalty Islands
9 Aug 1901 · 62 km away
Moderate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.