Reviewed by USGSVanuatu101y ago
M6.5 earthquake 40 km SSW of Port-Vila, Vanuatu
Monday, January 24, 1927, 06:42:25 UTC · 18.039°S, 168.107°E
A magnitude 6.5 earthquake struck 40 km SSW of Port-Vila, Vanuatu on Monday, January 24, 1927, 06:42:25 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
- 6.5
- Strong · mw
- Depth
- 35 km
- Shallow
- Felt reports
- 0
- Did You Feel It?
- Est. shaking
- V
- Moderate (ShakeMap)
- PAGER alert
- None
- Not issued
- Tsunami
- No flag
- USGS feed
Outlined circle: this earthquakeDashed circle: 100 km aftershock search areaColoured lines: estimated shaking intensity (USGS ShakeMap)
In context
How big was it, and why here?
Energy released
85 kilotons of TNT
That is about 6 times the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 178 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
76 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
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 lists 3 M2.5+ earthquakes within 100 km in the following 30 days; the largest was M6.4 on January 26, 1927. 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 21 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 · 220 km S of this epicenter
- 7.828 km ESE of Isangel, VanuatuJune 16, 1910 · 231 km SE of this epicenter
- 7.663 km NW of Isangel, VanuatuOctober 14, 1913 · 144 km SE of this epicenter
- 7.447 km WSW of Norsup, VanuatuNovember 9, 1910 · 228 km NW of this epicenter
- 7.2113 km SSE of Port-Vila, VanuatuMarch 22, 1925 · 92 km SE of this epicenter
- 7.1157 km E of Lakatoro, VanuatuOctober 11, 1907 · 226 km N of this epicenter
- 7.184 km SW of Port-Vila, VanuatuJanuary 24, 1927 · 46 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 · 222 km away
26 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1909
Espiritu Santo
8 Jul 1909 · 298 km away
Moderate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 1920M8.1
Loyalty Islands
20 Sep 1920 · 220 km away
Limited damage (under $1M)tsunami
- 1878M7.5
Tanna Island
10 Jan 1878 · 115 km away
Limited damage (under $1M)tsunami
- 1913M8.1
Vanuatu Islands
14 Oct 1913 · 188 km away
- 1878M8.0
Vanuatu Islands
11 Feb 1878 · 115 km away
tsunami
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.