Reviewed by USGSVanuatu118y ago
M6.8 earthquake 93 km S of Isangel, Vanuatu
Wednesday, June 1, 1910, 05:55:37 UTC · 20.385°S, 169.346°E
A magnitude 6.8 earthquake struck 93 km S of Isangel, Vanuatu on Wednesday, June 1, 1910, 05:55:37 UTC, at a depth of 35.0 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M6.8 on May 1, 1910.
- Magnitude
- 6.8
- 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 earthquakeDashed circle: 100 km aftershock search area
In context
How big was it, and why here?
Energy released
247 kilotons of TNT
That is about 16 times the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 519 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
90 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
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 lists 2 M2.5+ earthquakes within 100 km in the following 30 days; the largest was M7.8 on June 16, 1910. Most nearby activity right after a large earthquake is aftershocks, which usually become less frequent over days and weeks.
Regional history
Past M5+ earthquakes within 300 km
USGS lists 7 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 7.1southeast of the Loyalty IslandsApril 14, 1906 · 295 km SE of this epicenter
- 7.1175 km SE of Isangel, VanuatuMarch 30, 1910 · 116 km E of this epicenter
- 6.946 km NE of Isangel, VanuatuJune 30, 1905 · 128 km N of this epicenter
- 6.872 km WSW of Isangel, VanuatuMay 1, 1910 · 91 km NW of this epicenter
- 6.8southeast of the Loyalty IslandsMarch 10, 1906 · 293 km SE of this epicenter
- 6.7220 km E of Tadine, New CaledoniaAugust 18, 1909 · 136 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 · 98 km away
26 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1901M7.9
Loyalty Islands
9 Aug 1901 · 192 km away
Moderate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 1878M7.5
Tanna Island
10 Jan 1878 · 178 km away
Limited damage (under $1M)tsunami
- 1878M8.0
Vanuatu Islands
11 Feb 1878 · 178 km away
tsunami
- 1910M7.9
Vanuatu Islands
16 Jun 1910 · 155 km away
- 1863M7.5
Vanuatu Islands
17 Aug 1863 · 178 km away
tsunami
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.