Reviewed by USGSVanuatu83y ago
M7.2 earthquake 47 km NNW of Isangel, Vanuatu
Friday, November 24, 1944, 04:49:06 UTC · 19.127°S, 169.184°E
A magnitude 7.2 earthquake struck 47 km NNW of Isangel, Vanuatu on Friday, November 24, 1944, 04:49:06 UTC, at a depth of 165.0 km (intermediate). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M8.1 on September 20, 1920.
- Magnitude
- 7.2
- Major · mw
- Depth
- 165 km
- Intermediate
- 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
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
142 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
165 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 lists 1 M2.5+ earthquake within 200 km in the following 30 days; the largest was M6.7 on December 10, 1944. 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 66 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 · 120 km SW of this epicenter
- 7.828 km ESE of Isangel, VanuatuJune 16, 1910 · 65 km SE of this epicenter
- 7.663 km NW of Isangel, VanuatuOctober 14, 1913 · 28 km W of this epicenter
- 7.2113 km SSE of Port-Vila, VanuatuMarch 22, 1925 · 78 km NW of this epicenter
- 7.1175 km SE of Isangel, VanuatuMarch 30, 1910 · 219 km SE of this epicenter
- 7.184 km SW of Port-Vila, VanuatuJanuary 24, 1927 · 177 km NW of this epicenter
- 7.148 km SSW of Isangel, VanuatuApril 5, 1939 · 90 km S of this epicenter
- 7.072 km SW of Isangel, VanuatuMay 30, 1938 · 105 km SW of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 19 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 · 121 km away
26 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1920M8.1
Loyalty Islands
20 Sep 1920 · 120 km away
Limited damage (under $1M)tsunami
- 1878M7.5
Tanna Island
10 Jan 1878 · 73 km away
Limited damage (under $1M)tsunami
- 1933M6.4
Malekula
19 Nov 1933 · 289 km away
Limited damage (under $1M)tsunami
- 1913M8.1
Vanuatu Islands
14 Oct 1913 · 46 km away
- 1878M8.0
Vanuatu Islands
11 Feb 1878 · 73 km away
tsunami
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.