Reviewed by USGSVanuatu62y ago
M7.7 earthquake 45 km NNE of Port-Olry, Vanuatu
Thursday, May 20, 1965, 00:40:18 UTC · 14.649°S, 167.200°E
A magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck 45 km NNE of Port-Olry, Vanuatu on Thursday, May 20, 1965, 00:40:18 UTC, at a depth of 50.0 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M7.8 on December 17, 1957.
- Magnitude
- 7.7
- Major · mw
- Depth
- 50 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 earthquakeColoured lines: estimated shaking intensity (USGS ShakeMap)
In context
How big was it, and why here?
Energy released
5.4 megatons of TNT
That is about 355 times the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 11,220 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
100 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
50 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 has not published any M2.5+ earthquake within 200 km in the 30 days after this event.
Regional history
Past M5+ earthquakes within 300 km
USGS lists 127 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 7.8186 km NNW of Sola, VanuatuDecember 17, 1957 · 254 km N of this epicenter
- 7.447 km WSW of Norsup, VanuatuNovember 9, 1910 · 182 km S of this epicenter
- 7.3207 km E of Sola, VanuatuFebruary 19, 1905 · 250 km E of this epicenter
- 7.344 km SSW of Sola, VanuatuJanuary 5, 1915 · 50 km N of this epicenter
- 7.379 km WSW of Sola, VanuatuAugust 6, 1912 · 76 km NW of this epicenter
- 7.397 km E of Port-Olry, VanuatuNovember 22, 1911 · 97 km SE of this epicenter
- 7.256 km N of Port-Olry, VanuatuNovember 26, 1910 · 20 km NW of this epicenter
- 7.254 km E of Luganville, VanuatuJuly 9, 1964 · 110 km SE of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 12 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700. The most severe:
- 1965M7.6
Vanuatu Islands
11 Aug 1965 · 128 km away
Moderate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 1910M7.2
Espiritu Santo
10 Nov 1910 · 104 km away
Moderate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 1909
Espiritu Santo
8 Jul 1909 · 95 km away
Moderate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 1965M7.4
Vanuatu Islands
13 Aug 1965 · 146 km away
Limited damage (under $1M)tsunami
- 1933M6.4
Malekula
19 Nov 1933 · 257 km away
Limited damage (under $1M)tsunami
- 1903M7.9
Vanuatu Islands
13 May 1903 · 275 km away
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.