Reviewed by USGSVanuatu61y ago
M5.8 earthquake 87 km S of Lakatoro, Vanuatu
Monday, August 30, 1965, 03:32:03 UTC · 16.879°S, 167.541°E
A magnitude 5.8 earthquake struck 87 km S of Lakatoro, Vanuatu on Monday, August 30, 1965, 03:32:03 UTC, at a depth of 10.0 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M5.9 on August 29, 1965.
- Magnitude
- 5.8
- Moderate · mw
- Depth
- 10 km
- Shallow
- Felt reports
- 0
- Did You Feel It?
- Est. shaking
- IV
- Light (ShakeMap)
- PAGER alert
- None
- Not issued
- Tsunami
- No flag
- USGS feed
Outlined circle: this earthquakeColoured lines: estimated shaking intensity (USGS ShakeMap)
In context
How big was it, and why here?
Energy released
9 kilotons of TNT
That is about 1/2 of the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 19 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
62 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
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 122 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 · 167 km S of this epicenter
- 7.745 km NNE of Port-Olry, VanuatuMay 20, 1965 · 251 km N of this epicenter
- 7.663 km NW of Isangel, VanuatuOctober 14, 1913 · 285 km SE of this epicenter
- 7.631 km S of Luganville, VanuatuAugust 11, 1965 · 126 km N of this epicenter
- 7.447 km WSW of Norsup, VanuatuNovember 9, 1910 · 88 km NW of this epicenter
- 7.443 km W of Norsup, VanuatuAugust 13, 1965 · 102 km NW of this epicenter
- 7.363 km S of Port-Vila, VanuatuJuly 23, 1961 · 178 km SE of this epicenter
- 7.344 km SSW of Sola, VanuatuJanuary 5, 1915 · 295 km N of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 25 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700. The most severe:
- 1965M7.6
Vanuatu Islands
11 Aug 1965 · 125 km away
Moderate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 1909
Espiritu Santo
8 Jul 1909 · 158 km away
Moderate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 1878M7.5
Tanna Island
10 Jan 1878 · 257 km away
Limited damage (under $1M)tsunami
- 1965M7.4
Vanuatu Islands
13 Aug 1965 · 135 km away
Limited damage (under $1M)tsunami
- 1961M7.3
Vanuatu Islands
23 Jul 1961 · 195 km away · intensity VI
Limited damage (under $1M)tsunami
- 1933M6.4
Malekula
19 Nov 1933 · 25 km away
Limited damage (under $1M)tsunami
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.