M6.6 earthquake 80 km ENE of Tadine, New Caledonia

Friday, September 25, 2026, 21:23:03 UTC · 21.298°S, 168.610°E

A magnitude 6.6 earthquake struck 80 km ENE of Tadine, New Caledonia on Friday, September 25, 2026, 21:23:03 UTC, at a depth of 10.0 km (shallow). USGS received 11 “Did You Feel It?” reports, with a maximum reported intensity of VII (very strong). The USGS PAGER alert is green: low likelihood of casualties and damage. It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M7.1 on December 7, 2023.

Magnitude: 6.6; Strong · mww
Depth: 10 km; Shallow
Felt reports: 11; Max intensity VII
Est. shaking: VI; Strong (ShakeMap)
PAGER alert: Green; Impact estimate
Tsunami: No flag; USGS feed

Outlined circle: this earthquakeDashed circle: 100 km aftershock search areaColoured lines: estimated shaking intensity (USGS ShakeMap)

In context

How big was it, and why here?

Energy released

120 kilotons of TNT

That is about 8 times the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 251 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.

Tectonic setting

26 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

10 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

Reports sent by people to USGS, grouped by place (most reports first). Intensity uses the Modified Mercalli scale (I–X): what people felt, not the magnitude.

Place	Intensity	Reports	Distance
Nouméa, Sud, New Caledonia	III · Weak	9	249 km
Dumbéa, Sud, New Caledonia	III · Weak	1	244 km

I felt it — report to USGS ↗

USGS PAGER estimate

Who was exposed to shaking

Modelled from the ShakeMap and population data. Alert level green: low likelihood of casualties and damage.

V · Moderate shaking: 4,300 people
IV · Light shaking: 6,900 people

After the main event

Aftershocks within 100 km

USGS lists 21 M2.5+ earthquakes within 100 km since this event; the largest was M5.5 on September 25, 2026. Most nearby activity right after a large earthquake is aftershocks, which usually become less frequent over days and weeks.

Time after the mainshock on a logarithmic scale (first hours stretched), magnitude on the vertical axis. M2.5+ events from USGS.

Regional history

Past M5+ earthquakes within 300 km

USGS lists 1,897 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:

History · NOAA

Deadliest earthquakes in this area

NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 41 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 · 145 km away
26 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
1901M7.9
Loyalty Islands
9 Aug 1901 · 163 km away
Moderate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
1920M8.1
Loyalty Islands
20 Sep 1920 · 147 km away
Limited damage (under $1M)tsunami
1878M7.5
Tanna Island
10 Jan 1878 · 256 km away
Limited damage (under $1M)tsunami
2018M7.5
Loyalty Islands
5 Dec 2018 · 111 km away · intensity III
Limited damage (under $1M)tsunami
2010M7.3
Vanuatu Islands
25 Dec 2010 · 190 km away
Limited damage (under $1M)tsunami

NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.

Nearby trackers