Reviewed by USGSVanuatu118y ago
M7.1 earthquake 175 km SE of Isangel, Vanuatu
Wednesday, March 30, 1910, 16:55:55 UTC · 20.739°S, 170.389°E
A magnitude 7.1 earthquake struck 175 km SE of Isangel, Vanuatu on Wednesday, March 30, 1910, 16:55:55 UTC, at a depth of 100.0 km (intermediate). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M7.2 on November 14, 1906.
- Magnitude
- 7.1
- Major · mB
- Depth
- 100 km
- Intermediate
- 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
674 kilotons of TNT
That is about 45 times the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 1,413 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
163 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
100 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 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 7 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 7.2southeast of the Loyalty IslandsNovember 14, 1906 · 237 km SE of this epicenter
- 7.1southeast of the Loyalty IslandsApril 14, 1906 · 198 km SE of this epicenter
- 6.946 km NE of Isangel, VanuatuJune 30, 1905 · 183 km NW of this epicenter
- 6.8southeast of the Loyalty IslandsMarch 10, 1906 · 184 km SE of this epicenter
- 6.7southeast of the Loyalty IslandsJuly 17, 1905 · 297 km SE of this epicenter
- 6.7220 km E of Tadine, New CaledoniaAugust 18, 1909 · 88 km SW of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 8 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 · 213 km away
26 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1901M7.9
Loyalty Islands
9 Aug 1901 · 146 km away
Moderate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 1878M7.5
Tanna Island
10 Jan 1878 · 276 km away
Limited damage (under $1M)tsunami
- 1878M8.0
Vanuatu Islands
11 Feb 1878 · 276 km away
tsunami
- 1910M7.9
Vanuatu Islands
16 Jun 1910 · 215 km away
- 1863M7.5
Vanuatu Islands
17 Aug 1863 · 276 km away
tsunami
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.