Reviewed by USGSVanuatu118y ago
M6.7 earthquake 126 km SSE of Isangel, Vanuatu
Wednesday, June 1, 1910, 06:48:14 UTC · 20.636°S, 169.613°E
A magnitude 6.7 earthquake struck 126 km SSE of Isangel, Vanuatu on Wednesday, June 1, 1910, 06:48:14 UTC, at a depth of 35.0 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M6.8 on June 1, 1910.
- Magnitude
- 6.7
- Strong · mw
- Depth
- 35 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
188 kilotons of TNT
That is about 12 times the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 394 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
101 km
from the nearest mapped plate boundary, between the New Hebrides and Australian plates. Earthquakes this far from a boundary happen on faults inside a plate, often less frequently but sometimes strongly.
Depth: shallow
35 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 9 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 · 296 km SE of this epicenter
- 7.1southeast of the Loyalty IslandsApril 14, 1906 · 255 km SE of this epicenter
- 7.1175 km SE of Isangel, VanuatuMarch 30, 1910 · 82 km E of this epicenter
- 6.946 km NE of Isangel, VanuatuJune 30, 1905 · 152 km N of this epicenter
- 6.872 km WSW of Isangel, VanuatuMay 1, 1910 · 131 km NW of this epicenter
- 6.893 km S of Isangel, VanuatuJune 1, 1910 · 39 km NW of this epicenter
- 6.8southeast of the Loyalty IslandsMarch 10, 1906 · 255 km SE of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 9 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 · 136 km away
26 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1901M7.9
Loyalty Islands
9 Aug 1901 · 157 km away
Moderate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 1878M7.5
Tanna Island
10 Jan 1878 · 216 km away
Limited damage (under $1M)tsunami
- 1878M8.0
Vanuatu Islands
11 Feb 1878 · 216 km away
tsunami
- 1910M7.9
Vanuatu Islands
16 Jun 1910 · 182 km away
- 1863M7.5
Vanuatu Islands
17 Aug 1863 · 216 km away
tsunami
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.