Reviewed by USGSNew Caledonia31y ago
M7.7 earthquake 249 km E of Vao, New Caledonia
Tuesday, May 16, 1995, 20:12:44 UTC · 23.008°S, 169.900°E
A magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck 249 km E of Vao, New Caledonia on Tuesday, May 16, 1995, 20:12:44 UTC, at a depth of 20.2 km (shallow). No earthquake of this size or larger appears within 300 km in the USGS catalog since 1900.
- Magnitude
- 7.7
- Major · mw
- Depth
- 20 km
- Shallow
- Felt reports
- 0
- Did You Feel It?
- Est. shaking
- IV
- Light (ShakeMap)
- PAGER alert
- None
- Not issued
- Tsunami
- No flag
- USGS feed
Outlined circle: this earthquakeDashed circle: 200 km aftershock search areaColoured lines: estimated shaking intensity (USGS ShakeMap)
In context
How big was it, and why here?
Energy released
5.4 megatons of TNT
That is about 355 times the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 11,220 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
51 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
20 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 PAGER estimate is available for this event.
After the main event
Aftershocks within 200 km
USGS lists 134 M2.5+ earthquakes within 200 km in the following 30 days; the largest was M6.5 on May 17, 1995. Most nearby activity right after a large earthquake is aftershocks, which usually become less frequent over days and weeks.
- 4.1223 km ESE of Vao, New Caledonia31y ago · 76 km SW of this epicenter
- 4.4205 km E of Vao, New Caledonia31y ago · 44 km W of this epicenter
- 4.2271 km ESE of Tadine, New Caledonia31y ago · 47 km NE of this epicenter
- 4.6256 km E of Vao, New Caledonia31y ago · 8 km SE of this epicenter
- 3.886 km SE of Tadine, New Caledonia31y ago · 177 km NW of this epicenter
- 4.2213 km E of Vao, New Caledonia31y ago · 36 km W of this epicenter
- 4.0southeast of the Loyalty Islands31y ago · 96 km NE of this epicenter
- 4.2southeast of the Loyalty Islands31y ago · 75 km E of this epicenter
Regional history
Past M5+ earthquakes within 300 km
USGS lists 505 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 7.6274 km ESE of Tadine, New CaledoniaMarch 16, 1928 · 88 km NE of this epicenter
- 7.2southeast of the Loyalty IslandsNovember 14, 1906 · 183 km E of this epicenter
- 7.2207 km E of Tadine, New CaledoniaOctober 25, 1980 · 124 km N of this epicenter
- 7.1southeast of the Loyalty IslandsAugust 17, 1935 · 179 km NE of this epicenter
- 7.1southeast of the Loyalty IslandsApril 14, 1906 · 166 km NE of this epicenter
- 7.1175 km SE of Isangel, VanuatuMarch 30, 1910 · 257 km N of this epicenter
- 7.1210 km SSE of Isangel, VanuatuJanuary 15, 1986 · 194 km N of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 6 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700. The most severe:
- 1901M7.9
Loyalty Islands
9 Aug 1901 · 113 km away
Moderate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 1995M7.7
Noumea; Vanuatu: Port-Vila
16 May 1995 · 0 km away · intensity III
tsunami
- 1928M7.5
Loyalty Islands
16 Mar 1928 · 128 km away
- 1943M7.5
Loyalty Islands
14 Sep 1943 · 159 km away
- 1944M7.5
Loyalty Islands
5 Oct 1944 · 223 km away
- 1994M7.0
Vanuatu Islands
12 Feb 1994 · 279 km away
tsunami
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.