M8.0 earthquake 2013 Santa Cruz Islands Earthquake

Wednesday, February 6, 2013, 01:12:25 UTC · 10.799°S, 165.114°E

A magnitude 8.0 earthquake struck 2013 Santa Cruz Islands Earthquake on Wednesday, February 6, 2013, 01:12:25 UTC, at a depth of 24.0 km (shallow). USGS received 11 “Did You Feel It?” reports, with a maximum reported intensity of VIII (severe). The USGS PAGER alert is green: low likelihood of casualties and damage. No earthquake of this size or larger appears within 300 km in the USGS catalog since 1900.

Tsunami flagUSGS sets this flag for large events in oceanic regions so tsunami warning centers review them. It does not by itself mean a tsunami occurred. Check tsunami.gov and local authorities for official messages.

Magnitude: 8.0; Great · mww
Depth: 24 km; Shallow
Felt reports: 11; Max intensity VIII
Est. shaking: VII; Very strong (ShakeMap)
PAGER alert: Green; Impact estimate
Tsunami: Flag; Check tsunami.gov

Outlined circle: this earthquakeDashed circle: 400 km aftershock search areaColoured lines: estimated shaking intensity (USGS ShakeMap)

In context

How big was it, and why here?

Energy released

15 megatons of TNT

That is about 1,002 times the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 31,623 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.

Tectonic setting

50 km

from the nearest mapped plate boundary, between the Pacific and Australian plates. Earthquakes cluster along boundaries like this one, where plates collide, pull apart or slide past each other.

Depth: shallow

24 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
Lata, Temotu, Solomon Islands	VIII · Severe	4	82 km
Kirakira, Makira and Ulawa, Solomon Islands	VIII · Severe	1	356 km
Port Olry, Sanma, Vanuatu	VI · Strong	1	515 km
Vila, Shefa, Vanuatu	VI · Strong	1	842 km
Honiara, Guadalcanal, Solomon Islands	II · Weak	1	590 km

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 400 km

USGS lists 689 M2.5+ earthquakes within 400 km in the following 30 days; the largest was M7.1 on February 8, 2013. 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 1,074 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 20 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 10 recorded deaths. The most severe:

2013M7.9
Santa Cruz Islands
6 Feb 2013 · 0 km away · intensity VIII
10 deaths$36 million damagetsunami
1997M7.7
Santa Cruz Islands; Vanuatu
21 Apr 1997 · 261 km away
Limited damage (under $1M)tsunami
1980M7.5
Santa Cruz Islands: Banks
8 Jul 1980 · 226 km away
Limited damage (under $1M)tsunami
1980M7.9
Santa Cruz Islands; Vanuatu
17 Jul 1980 · 211 km away
tsunami
1934M7.8
Santa Cruz Islands
18 Jul 1934 · 215 km away
tsunami
1957M7.8
Santa Cruz Islands
17 Dec 1957 · 240 km away

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

Nearby trackers