Reviewed by USGSVanuatu62y ago
M7.4 earthquake 43 km W of Norsup, Vanuatu
Friday, August 13, 1965, 12:40:31 UTC · 16.123°S, 166.995°E
A magnitude 7.4 earthquake struck 43 km W of Norsup, Vanuatu on Friday, August 13, 1965, 12:40:31 UTC, at a depth of 30.0 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M7.6 on August 11, 1965.
- Magnitude
- 7.4
- Major · mw
- Depth
- 30 km
- Shallow
- Felt reports
- 0
- Did You Feel It?
- Est. shaking
- VII
- Very 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
1.9 megatons of TNT
That is about 126 times the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 3,981 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
55 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
30 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 6 M2.5+ earthquakes within 200 km in the following 30 days; the largest was M6.2 on August 18, 1965. Most nearby activity right after a large earthquake is aftershocks, which usually become less frequent over days and weeks.
- 5.887 km S of Lakatoro, Vanuatu61y ago · 102 km SE of this epicenter
- 5.939 km ESE of Luganville, Vanuatu61y ago · 69 km NE of this epicenter
- 6.241 km W of Norsup, Vanuatu61y ago · 14 km N of this epicenter
- 5.741 km WSW of Port-Olry, Vanuatu62y ago · 107 km N of this epicenter
- 6.043 km SW of Luganville, Vanuatu62y ago · 36 km N of this epicenter
- 6.263 km SSE of Lakatoro, Vanuatu62y ago · 88 km SE of this epicenter
Regional history
Past M5+ earthquakes within 300 km
USGS lists 133 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 7.999 km SW of Port-Vila, VanuatuDecember 2, 1950 · 260 km S of this epicenter
- 7.745 km NNE of Port-Olry, VanuatuMay 20, 1965 · 165 km N of this epicenter
- 7.631 km S of Luganville, VanuatuAugust 11, 1965 · 41 km NE of this epicenter
- 7.447 km WSW of Norsup, VanuatuNovember 9, 1910 · 17 km S of this epicenter
- 7.363 km S of Port-Vila, VanuatuJuly 23, 1961 · 279 km SE of this epicenter
- 7.344 km SSW of Sola, VanuatuJanuary 5, 1915 · 214 km N of this epicenter
- 7.379 km WSW of Sola, VanuatuAugust 6, 1912 · 230 km N of this epicenter
- 7.397 km E of Port-Olry, VanuatuNovember 22, 1911 · 155 km NE of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 18 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700. The most severe:
- 1965M7.6
Vanuatu Islands
11 Aug 1965 · 42 km away
Moderate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 1910M7.2
Espiritu Santo
10 Nov 1910 · 242 km away
Moderate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 1909
Espiritu Santo
8 Jul 1909 · 73 km away
Moderate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 1965M7.4
Vanuatu Islands
13 Aug 1965 · 32 km away
Limited damage (under $1M)tsunami
- 1961M7.3
Vanuatu Islands
23 Jul 1961 · 296 km away · intensity VI
Limited damage (under $1M)tsunami
- 1933M6.4
Malekula
19 Nov 1933 · 120 km away
Limited damage (under $1M)tsunami
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.