Reviewed by USGSVanuatu73y ago
M7.1 earthquake 146 km NW of Sola, Vanuatu
Wednesday, November 4, 1953, 03:49:13 UTC · 13.082°S, 166.464°E
A magnitude 7.1 earthquake struck 146 km NW of Sola, Vanuatu on Wednesday, November 4, 1953, 03:49:13 UTC, at a depth of 35.0 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M7.1 on November 16, 1944.
- Magnitude
- 7.1
- Major · mw
- Depth
- 35 km
- Shallow
- Felt reports
- 0
- Did You Feel It?
- Est. shaking
- VI
- 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
697 kilotons of TNT
That is about 46 times the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 1,462 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
52 km
from the nearest mapped plate boundary, between the Pacific and Australian plates. Earthquakes cluster along boundaries like this one, where plates collide, pull apart or slide past each other.
Depth: shallow
35 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 2 M2.5+ earthquakes within 200 km in the following 30 days; the largest was M6.6 on November 13, 1953. Most nearby activity right after a large earthquake is aftershocks, which usually become less frequent over days and weeks.
Regional history
Past M5+ earthquakes within 300 km
USGS lists 73 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 7.7138 km SSE of Lata, Solomon IslandsJuly 18, 1934 · 141 km N of this epicenter
- 7.454 km ESE of Lata, Solomon IslandsMay 17, 1941 · 250 km N of this epicenter
- 7.344 km SSW of Sola, VanuatuJanuary 5, 1915 · 160 km SE of this epicenter
- 7.379 km WSW of Sola, VanuatuAugust 6, 1912 · 116 km S of this epicenter
- 7.397 km E of Port-Olry, VanuatuNovember 22, 1911 · 277 km SE of this epicenter
- 7.345 km SSE of Lata, Solomon IslandsJuly 21, 1934 · 227 km N of this epicenter
- 7.256 km N of Port-Olry, VanuatuNovember 26, 1910 · 173 km S of this epicenter
- 7.1130 km SSE of Lata, Solomon IslandsNovember 16, 1944 · 142 km N of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 7 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700. The most severe:
- 1910M7.2
Espiritu Santo
10 Nov 1910 · 102 km away
Moderate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 1909
Espiritu Santo
8 Jul 1909 · 280 km away
Moderate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 1934M7.8
Santa Cruz Islands
18 Jul 1934 · 134 km away
tsunami
- 1953M7.5
Solomon Islands
4 Nov 1953 · 13 km away
tsunami
- 1934M7.1
Solomon Islands; New Caledonia
21 Jul 1934 · 240 km away
tsunami
- 1892
Espiritu Santo
Aug 1892 · 244 km away
tsunami
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.