Reviewed by USGSVanuatu81y ago
M7.1 earthquake 38 km ESE of Luganville, Vanuatu
Saturday, January 5, 1946, 19:57:26 UTC · 15.691°S, 167.470°E
A magnitude 7.1 earthquake struck 38 km ESE of Luganville, Vanuatu on Saturday, January 5, 1946, 19:57:26 UTC, at a depth of 35.0 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M7.1 on January 24, 1927.
- 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
607 kilotons of TNT
That is about 40 times the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 1,274 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
122 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
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 1 M2.5+ earthquake within 200 km in the following 30 days; the largest was M6.3 on January 20, 1946. 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 63 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 7.447 km WSW of Norsup, VanuatuNovember 9, 1910 · 81 km SW of this epicenter
- 7.3207 km E of Sola, VanuatuFebruary 19, 1905 · 276 km NE of this epicenter
- 7.344 km SSW of Sola, VanuatuJanuary 5, 1915 · 163 km N of this epicenter
- 7.379 km WSW of Sola, VanuatuAugust 6, 1912 · 194 km N of this epicenter
- 7.397 km E of Port-Olry, VanuatuNovember 22, 1911 · 86 km NE of this epicenter
- 7.256 km N of Port-Olry, VanuatuNovember 26, 1910 · 136 km N of this epicenter
- 7.1157 km E of Lakatoro, VanuatuOctober 11, 1907 · 160 km E of this epicenter
- 7.184 km SW of Port-Vila, VanuatuJanuary 24, 1927 · 290 km S of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 11 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700. The most severe:
- 1910M7.2
Espiritu Santo
10 Nov 1910 · 215 km away
Moderate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 1909
Espiritu Santo
8 Jul 1909 · 36 km away
Moderate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 1933M6.4
Malekula
19 Nov 1933 · 138 km away
Limited damage (under $1M)tsunami
- 1903M7.9
Vanuatu Islands
13 May 1903 · 156 km away
- 1910M7.9
Espiritu Santo
9 Nov 1910 · 161 km away
- 1927M7.1
Port Vila
24 Jan 1927 · 290 km away
tsunami
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.