Reviewed by USGSNew Caledonia7y ago
M5.7 earthquake 198 km E of Tadine, New Caledonia
Thursday, May 23, 2019, 15:02:18 UTC · 21.654°S, 169.794°E
A magnitude 5.7 earthquake struck 198 km E of Tadine, New Caledonia on Thursday, May 23, 2019, 15:02:18 UTC, at a depth of 19.0 km (shallow). The USGS PAGER alert is green: low likelihood of casualties and damage. It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M6.3 on May 19, 2019.
- Magnitude
- 5.7
- Moderate · mww
- Depth
- 19 km
- Shallow
- Felt reports
- 0
- Did You Feel It?
- Est. shaking
- —
- No ShakeMap
- PAGER alert
- Green
- Impact estimate
- Tsunami
- No flag
- USGS feed
Outlined circle: this earthquakeDashed circle: 75 km aftershock search areaColoured lines: estimated shaking intensity (USGS ShakeMap)
In context
How big was it, and why here?
Energy released
5 kilotons of TNT
That is about 1/3 of the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 11 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
53 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
19 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 populated area was estimated to feel noticeable shaking.
After the main event
Aftershocks within 75 km
USGS lists 4 M2.5+ earthquakes within 75 km in the following 30 days; the largest was M5.4 on June 18, 2019. 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 1,648 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 · 231 km NW of this epicenter
- 7.828 km ESE of Isangel, VanuatuJune 16, 1910 · 230 km N of this epicenter
- 7.7249 km E of Vao, New CaledoniaMay 16, 1995 · 151 km S of this epicenter
- 7.6274 km ESE of Tadine, New CaledoniaMarch 16, 1928 · 100 km SE of this epicenter
- 7.5southeast of the Loyalty IslandsJanuary 4, 1998 · 136 km SE of this epicenter
- 7.5166 km ESE of Tadine, New CaledoniaDecember 5, 2018 · 50 km SW of this epicenter
- 7.447 km NW of Isangel, VanuatuOctober 11, 1992 · 282 km N of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 30 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 · 228 km away
26 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1901M7.9
Loyalty Islands
9 Aug 1901 · 44 km away
Moderate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 1920M8.1
Loyalty Islands
20 Sep 1920 · 231 km away
Limited damage (under $1M)tsunami
- 2018M7.5
Loyalty Islands
5 Dec 2018 · 50 km away · intensity III
Limited damage (under $1M)tsunami
- 2010M7.3
Vanuatu Islands
25 Dec 2010 · 290 km away
Limited damage (under $1M)tsunami
- 1913M8.1
Vanuatu Islands
14 Oct 1913 · 253 km away
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.