Reviewed by USGSNew Caledonia105y ago
M6.7 earthquake 244 km E of Tadine, New Caledonia
Friday, May 12, 1922, 18:39:32 UTC · 21.857°S, 170.220°E
A magnitude 6.7 earthquake struck 244 km E of Tadine, New Caledonia on Friday, May 12, 1922, 18:39:32 UTC, at a depth of 25.0 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M8.1 on September 20, 1920.
- Magnitude
- 6.7
- Strong · mw
- Depth
- 25 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
175 kilotons of TNT
That is about 12 times the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 367 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
66 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
25 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 23 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 · 276 km NW of this epicenter
- 7.828 km ESE of Isangel, VanuatuJune 16, 1910 · 260 km N of this epicenter
- 7.2southeast of the Loyalty IslandsNovember 14, 1906 · 162 km SE of this epicenter
- 7.1southeast of the Loyalty IslandsApril 14, 1906 · 124 km SE of this epicenter
- 7.1175 km SE of Isangel, VanuatuMarch 30, 1910 · 126 km N of this epicenter
- 6.946 km NE of Isangel, VanuatuJune 30, 1905 · 295 km N of this epicenter
- 6.893 km S of Isangel, VanuatuJune 1, 1910 · 187 km NW of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 5 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 · 273 km away
26 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1901M7.9
Loyalty Islands
9 Aug 1901 · 28 km away
Moderate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 1920M8.1
Loyalty Islands
20 Sep 1920 · 276 km away
Limited damage (under $1M)tsunami
- 1913M8.1
Vanuatu Islands
14 Oct 1913 · 291 km away
- 1910M7.5
Vanuatu Islands
1 Jun 1910 · 242 km away
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.