Reviewed by USGSVanuatu61y ago
M5.9 earthquake 39 km ESE of Luganville, Vanuatu
Sunday, August 29, 1965, 12:46:34 UTC · 15.713°S, 167.476°E
A magnitude 5.9 earthquake struck 39 km ESE of Luganville, Vanuatu on Sunday, August 29, 1965, 12:46:34 UTC, at a depth of 10.0 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M6.2 on August 18, 1965.
- Magnitude
- 5.9
- Moderate · mw
- Depth
- 10 km
- Shallow
- Felt reports
- 0
- Did You Feel It?
- Est. shaking
- V
- Moderate (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
10 kilotons of TNT
That is about 1/2 of the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 21 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
122 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
10 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 75 km
USGS has not published any M2.5+ earthquake within 75 km in the 30 days after this event.
Regional history
Past M5+ earthquakes within 300 km
USGS lists 149 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 · 296 km S of this epicenter
- 7.745 km NNE of Port-Olry, VanuatuMay 20, 1965 · 122 km N of this epicenter
- 7.631 km S of Luganville, VanuatuAugust 11, 1965 · 33 km W of this epicenter
- 7.447 km WSW of Norsup, VanuatuNovember 9, 1910 · 80 km SW of this epicenter
- 7.443 km W of Norsup, VanuatuAugust 13, 1965 · 69 km SW of this epicenter
- 7.3207 km E of Sola, VanuatuFebruary 19, 1905 · 277 km NE of this epicenter
- 7.344 km SSW of Sola, VanuatuJanuary 5, 1915 · 165 km N of this epicenter
- 7.379 km WSW of Sola, VanuatuAugust 6, 1912 · 196 km N of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 16 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700. The most severe:
- 1965M7.6
Vanuatu Islands
11 Aug 1965 · 31 km away
Moderate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 1910M7.2
Espiritu Santo
10 Nov 1910 · 217 km away
Moderate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 1909
Espiritu Santo
8 Jul 1909 · 38 km away
Moderate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 1965M7.4
Vanuatu Islands
13 Aug 1965 · 75 km away
Limited damage (under $1M)tsunami
- 1933M6.4
Malekula
19 Nov 1933 · 135 km away
Limited damage (under $1M)tsunami
- 1903M7.9
Vanuatu Islands
13 May 1903 · 154 km away
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.