Reviewed by USGSVanuatu114y ago
M7.6 earthquake 63 km NW of Isangel, Vanuatu
Tuesday, October 14, 1913, 08:08:47 UTC · 19.081°S, 168.918°E
A magnitude 7.6 earthquake struck 63 km NW of Isangel, Vanuatu on Tuesday, October 14, 1913, 08:08:47 UTC, at a depth of 125.0 km (intermediate). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M7.8 on June 16, 1910.
- Magnitude
- 7.6
- Major · mB
- Depth
- 125 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
3.8 megatons of TNT
That is about 252 times the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 7,943 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
119 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
125 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 12 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 7.828 km ESE of Isangel, VanuatuJune 16, 1910 · 88 km SE of this epicenter
- 7.1175 km SE of Isangel, VanuatuMarch 30, 1910 · 240 km SE of this epicenter
- 6.946 km NE of Isangel, VanuatuJune 30, 1905 · 76 km E of this epicenter
- 6.943 km N of Port-Vila, VanuatuFebruary 4, 1910 · 204 km N of this epicenter
- 6.986 km NE of Isangel, VanuatuMarch 25, 1912 · 107 km E of this epicenter
- 6.872 km WSW of Isangel, VanuatuMay 1, 1910 · 90 km S of this epicenter
- 6.893 km S of Isangel, VanuatuJune 1, 1910 · 152 km S of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 14 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 · 111 km away
26 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1878M7.5
Tanna Island
10 Jan 1878 · 45 km away
Limited damage (under $1M)tsunami
- 1913M8.1
Vanuatu Islands
14 Oct 1913 · 47 km away
- 1878M8.0
Vanuatu Islands
11 Feb 1878 · 45 km away
tsunami
- 1903M7.9
Vanuatu Islands
13 May 1903 · 251 km away
- 1910M7.9
Vanuatu Islands
16 Jun 1910 · 62 km away
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.