QuakeScout
Magnitude4.6

Reviewed by USGSVanuatu46y ago

M4.6 earthquake 101 km NW of Sola, Vanuatu

Saturday, November 15, 1980, 13:33:57 UTC · 13.122°S, 167.020°E

A magnitude 4.6 earthquake struck 101 km NW of Sola, Vanuatu on Saturday, November 15, 1980, 13:33:57 UTC, at a depth of 161.0 km (intermediate). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M5.2 on November 15, 1980.

Magnitude
4.6
Light · mb
Depth
161 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

120 tons of TNT

That is about 1/126 of the Hiroshima bomb. A magnitude 5.0 releases about 4 times more energy.

Tectonic setting

60 km

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

Depth: intermediate

161 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 50 km

USGS has not published any M2.5+ earthquake within 50 km in the 30 days after this event.

Regional history

Past M5+ earthquakes within 300 km

USGS lists 577 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:

  1. 7.9199 km S of Lata, Solomon IslandsJuly 17, 1980 · 137 km NW of this epicenter
  2. 7.8146 km SSE of Lata, Solomon IslandsDecember 31, 1966 · 152 km NW of this epicenter
  3. 7.8186 km NNW of Sola, VanuatuDecember 17, 1957 · 86 km NW of this epicenter
  4. 7.745 km NNE of Port-Olry, VanuatuMay 20, 1965 · 171 km S of this epicenter
  5. 7.7138 km SSE of Lata, Solomon IslandsJuly 18, 1934 · 159 km NW of this epicenter
  6. 7.631 km S of Luganville, VanuatuAugust 11, 1965 · 299 km S of this epicenter
  7. 7.5196 km SSE of Lata, Solomon IslandsJuly 8, 1980 · 105 km NW of this epicenter
  8. 7.581 km NW of Port-Olry, VanuatuDecember 28, 1973 · 156 km S of this epicenter

History · NOAA

Deadliest earthquakes in this area

NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 19 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 1 recorded deaths. The most severe:

  1. 1971M7.1

    Espiritu Santo, Port Vila

    27 Oct 1971 · 265 km away · intensity VII

    1 deathSevere damage ($5–24M)

  2. 1965M7.6

    Vanuatu Islands

    11 Aug 1965 · 298 km away

    Moderate damage ($1–5M)tsunami

  3. 1973M7.5

    Espiritu Santo, Luganille

    28 Dec 1973 · 156 km away · intensity VII

    Moderate damage ($1–5M)

  4. 1910M7.2

    Espiritu Santo

    10 Nov 1910 · 113 km away

    Moderate damage ($1–5M)tsunami

  5. 1973M7.2

    Luganville, Lamap

    29 Dec 1973 · 223 km away · intensity VIII

    Moderate damage ($1–5M)

  6. 1909

    Espiritu Santo

    8 Jul 1909 · 265 km away

    Moderate damage ($1–5M)tsunami

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

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