Reviewed by USGSVanuatu102y ago
M7.2 earthquake 113 km SSE of Port-Vila, Vanuatu
Sunday, March 22, 1925, 08:41:58 UTC · 18.735°S, 168.570°E
A magnitude 7.2 earthquake struck 113 km SSE of Port-Vila, Vanuatu on Sunday, March 22, 1925, 08:41:58 UTC, at a depth of 35.0 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M8.1 on September 20, 1920.
- Magnitude
- 7.2
- 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 earthquakeColoured lines: estimated shaking intensity (USGS ShakeMap)
In context
How big was it, and why here?
Energy released
888 kilotons of TNT
That is about 59 times the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 1,862 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
100 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 has not published any M2.5+ earthquake within 200 km in the 30 days after this event.
Regional history
Past M5+ earthquakes within 300 km
USGS lists 19 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 · 139 km S of this epicenter
- 7.828 km ESE of Isangel, VanuatuJune 16, 1910 · 141 km SE of this epicenter
- 7.663 km NW of Isangel, VanuatuOctober 14, 1913 · 53 km SE of this epicenter
- 7.1157 km E of Lakatoro, VanuatuOctober 11, 1907 · 290 km N of this epicenter
- 7.1175 km SE of Isangel, VanuatuMarch 30, 1910 · 293 km SE of this epicenter
- 6.946 km NE of Isangel, VanuatuJune 30, 1905 · 125 km SE of this epicenter
- 6.986 km NE of Isangel, VanuatuMarch 25, 1912 · 148 km E of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 16 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 · 141 km away
26 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1920M8.1
Loyalty Islands
20 Sep 1920 · 139 km away
Limited damage (under $1M)tsunami
- 1878M7.5
Tanna Island
10 Jan 1878 · 30 km away
Limited damage (under $1M)tsunami
- 1913M8.1
Vanuatu Islands
14 Oct 1913 · 96 km away
- 1878M8.0
Vanuatu Islands
11 Feb 1878 · 30 km away
tsunami
- 1903M7.9
Vanuatu Islands
13 May 1903 · 202 km away
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.