Reviewed by USGSVanuatu76y ago
M6.2 earthquake 76 km W of Port-Vila, Vanuatu
Sunday, December 3, 1950, 07:47:36 UTC · 17.838°S, 167.602°E
A magnitude 6.2 earthquake struck 76 km W of Port-Vila, Vanuatu on Sunday, December 3, 1950, 07:47:36 UTC, at a depth of 15.8 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M7.9 on December 2, 1950.
- Magnitude
- 6.2
- Strong · mw
- Depth
- 16 km
- Shallow
- Felt reports
- 0
- Did You Feel It?
- Est. shaking
- —
- No ShakeMap
- PAGER alert
- None
- Not issued
- Tsunami
- No flag
- USGS feed
Outlined circle: this earthquakeDashed circle: 100 km aftershock search area
In context
How big was it, and why here?
Energy released
32 kilotons of TNT
That is about 2 times the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 68 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
31 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
16 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 100 km
USGS lists 1 M2.5+ earthquake within 100 km in the following 30 days; the largest was M6.2 on December 4, 1950. 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 58 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 · 256 km S of this epicenter
- 7.999 km SW of Port-Vila, VanuatuDecember 2, 1950 · 60 km S of this epicenter
- 7.828 km ESE of Isangel, VanuatuJune 16, 1910 · 284 km SE of this epicenter
- 7.663 km NW of Isangel, VanuatuOctober 14, 1913 · 196 km SE of this epicenter
- 7.447 km WSW of Norsup, VanuatuNovember 9, 1910 · 185 km N of this epicenter
- 7.247 km NNW of Isangel, VanuatuNovember 24, 1944 · 220 km SE of this epicenter
- 7.2113 km SSE of Port-Vila, VanuatuMarch 22, 1925 · 143 km SE of this epicenter
- 7.1157 km E of Lakatoro, VanuatuOctober 11, 1907 · 233 km NE of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 24 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 · 258 km away
26 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1909
Espiritu Santo
8 Jul 1909 · 263 km away
Moderate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 1920M8.1
Loyalty Islands
20 Sep 1920 · 256 km away
Limited damage (under $1M)tsunami
- 1878M7.5
Tanna Island
10 Jan 1878 · 160 km away
Limited damage (under $1M)tsunami
- 1933M6.4
Malekula
19 Nov 1933 · 106 km away
Limited damage (under $1M)tsunami
- 1913M8.1
Vanuatu Islands
14 Oct 1913 · 236 km away
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.