Reviewed by USGSVanuatu117y ago
M7.4 earthquake 47 km WSW of Norsup, Vanuatu
Wednesday, November 9, 1910, 06:01:59 UTC · 16.273°S, 167.013°E
A magnitude 7.4 earthquake struck 47 km WSW of Norsup, Vanuatu on Wednesday, November 9, 1910, 06:01:59 UTC, at a depth of 20.0 km (shallow). No earthquake of this size or larger appears within 300 km in the USGS catalog since 1900.
- Magnitude
- 7.4
- Major · mw
- Depth
- 20 km
- Shallow
- Felt reports
- 0
- Did You Feel It?
- Est. shaking
- VI
- Strong (ShakeMap)
- PAGER alert
- None
- Not issued
- Tsunami
- No flag
- USGS feed
Outlined circle: this earthquakeDashed circle: 200 km aftershock search areaColoured lines: estimated shaking intensity (USGS ShakeMap)
In context
How big was it, and why here?
Energy released
2.0 megatons of TNT
That is about 131 times the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 4,121 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
52 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
20 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 200 km
USGS lists 1 M2.5+ earthquake within 200 km in the following 30 days; the largest was M7.2 on November 26, 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:
- 7.1157 km E of Lakatoro, VanuatuOctober 11, 1907 · 201 km E of this epicenter
- 7.046 km WNW of Port-Olry, VanuatuApril 10, 1909 · 165 km N of this epicenter
- 6.943 km N of Port-Vila, VanuatuFebruary 4, 1910 · 182 km SE of this epicenter
- 6.84 km S of Sola, VanuatuJune 27, 1909 · 268 km N of this epicenter
- 6.6139 km ESE of Lakatoro, VanuatuApril 25, 1905 · 178 km E of this epicenter
- 6.661 km NW of Port-Olry, VanuatuJune 27, 1907 · 188 km N of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 10 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700. The most severe:
- 1910M7.2
Espiritu Santo
10 Nov 1910 · 259 km away
Moderate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 1909
Espiritu Santo
8 Jul 1909 · 88 km away
Moderate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 1903M7.9
Vanuatu Islands
13 May 1903 · 133 km away
- 1910M7.9
Espiritu Santo
9 Nov 1910 · 112 km away
- 1875M7.0
Vanuatu Islands
10 May 1875 · 269 km away
tsunami
- 1893M6.0
Vanuatu Islands
31 Jul 1893 · 214 km away
tsunami
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.