Reviewed by USGSVanuatu74y ago
M7.2 earthquake 62 km NE of Isangel, Vanuatu
Thursday, July 2, 1953, 06:57:00 UTC · 19.092°S, 169.635°E
A magnitude 7.2 earthquake struck 62 km NE of Isangel, Vanuatu on Thursday, July 2, 1953, 06:57:00 UTC, at a depth of 236.2 km (intermediate). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M7.9 on December 2, 1950.
- Magnitude
- 7.2
- Major · mw
- Depth
- 236 km
- Intermediate
- 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 earthquakeColoured lines: estimated shaking intensity (USGS ShakeMap)
In context
How big was it, and why here?
Energy released
951 kilotons of TNT
That is about 63 times the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 1,995 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
185 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: intermediate
236 km
Intermediate-depth earthquakes usually break inside a plate that is sinking into the mantle. Shaking spreads over a wide area but is gentler at the epicenter than a shallow quake of the same size.
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 88 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 8.11920 Vanuatu EarthquakeSeptember 20, 1920 · 157 km SW of this epicenter
- 7.999 km SW of Port-Vila, VanuatuDecember 2, 1950 · 223 km W of this epicenter
- 7.828 km ESE of Isangel, VanuatuJune 16, 1910 · 57 km S of this epicenter
- 7.663 km NW of Isangel, VanuatuOctober 14, 1913 · 75 km W of this epicenter
- 7.247 km NNW of Isangel, VanuatuNovember 24, 1944 · 48 km W of this epicenter
- 7.2113 km SSE of Port-Vila, VanuatuMarch 22, 1925 · 119 km W of this epicenter
- 7.1175 km SE of Isangel, VanuatuMarch 30, 1910 · 199 km SE of this epicenter
- 7.184 km SW of Port-Vila, VanuatuJanuary 24, 1927 · 217 km NW of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 21 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 26 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1875M8.1
Loyalty Islands: Lifou Island
28 Mar 1875 · 156 km away
26 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1920M8.1
Loyalty Islands
20 Sep 1920 · 157 km away
Limited damage (under $1M)tsunami
- 1878M7.5
Tanna Island
10 Jan 1878 · 120 km away
Limited damage (under $1M)tsunami
- 1913M8.1
Vanuatu Islands
14 Oct 1913 · 81 km away
- 1878M8.0
Vanuatu Islands
11 Feb 1878 · 120 km away
tsunami
- 1903M7.9
Vanuatu Islands
13 May 1903 · 290 km away
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.