Reviewed by USGSVanuatu81y ago
M6.3 earthquake 25 km ENE of Norsup, Vanuatu
Sunday, January 20, 1946, 16:54:28 UTC · 15.939°S, 167.594°E
A magnitude 6.3 earthquake struck 25 km ENE of Norsup, Vanuatu on Sunday, January 20, 1946, 16:54:28 UTC, at a depth of 35.0 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M7.1 on January 5, 1946.
- Magnitude
- 6.3
- Strong · mw
- Depth
- 35 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 earthquake
In context
How big was it, and why here?
Energy released
36 kilotons of TNT
That is about 2 times the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 75 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
123 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 100 km
USGS has not published any M2.5+ earthquake within 100 km in the 30 days after this event.
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 · 72 km SW of this epicenter
- 7.3207 km E of Sola, VanuatuFebruary 19, 1905 · 284 km NE of this epicenter
- 7.344 km SSW of Sola, VanuatuJanuary 5, 1915 · 191 km N of this epicenter
- 7.379 km WSW of Sola, VanuatuAugust 6, 1912 · 224 km N of this epicenter
- 7.397 km E of Port-Olry, VanuatuNovember 22, 1911 · 102 km NE of this epicenter
- 7.256 km N of Port-Olry, VanuatuNovember 26, 1910 · 167 km N of this epicenter
- 7.1157 km E of Lakatoro, VanuatuOctober 11, 1907 · 141 km E of this epicenter
- 7.184 km SW of Port-Vila, VanuatuJanuary 24, 1927 · 261 km S of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 13 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700. The most severe:
- 1910M7.2
Espiritu Santo
10 Nov 1910 · 246 km away
Moderate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 1909
Espiritu Santo
8 Jul 1909 · 65 km away
Moderate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 1933M6.4
Malekula
19 Nov 1933 · 108 km away
Limited damage (under $1M)tsunami
- 1903M7.9
Vanuatu Islands
13 May 1903 · 126 km away
- 1910M7.9
Espiritu Santo
9 Nov 1910 · 171 km away
- 1913M7.5
Vanuatu Islands
10 Nov 1913 · 274 km away
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.