Reviewed by USGSNew Caledonia31y ago
M5.3 earthquake 299 km ESE of Vao, New Caledonia
Monday, June 26, 1995, 10:18:47 UTC · 23.245°S, 170.353°E
A magnitude 5.3 earthquake struck 299 km ESE of Vao, New Caledonia on Monday, June 26, 1995, 10:18:47 UTC, at a depth of 33.0 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M5.8 on May 22, 1995.
- Magnitude
- 5.3
- Moderate · mw
- Depth
- 33 km
- Shallow
- Felt reports
- 0
- Did You Feel It?
- Est. shaking
- —
- No ShakeMap
- PAGER alert
- None
- Not issued
- Tsunami
- No flag
- USGS feed
Outlined circle: this earthquakeDashed circle: 75 km aftershock search area
In context
How big was it, and why here?
Energy released
1 kilotons of TNT
That is about 1/11 of the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 3 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
50 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
33 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 75 km
USGS lists 12 M2.5+ earthquakes within 75 km in the following 30 days; the largest was M6.5 on July 12, 1995. Most nearby activity right after a large earthquake is aftershocks, which usually become less frequent over days and weeks.
- 4.0258 km ESE of Vao, New Caledonia31y ago · 41 km W of this epicenter
- 4.2241 km E of Vao, New Caledonia31y ago · 69 km NW of this epicenter
- 5.2241 km E of Vao, New Caledonia31y ago · 75 km NW of this epicenter
- 5.0294 km E of Vao, New Caledonia31y ago · 29 km N of this epicenter
- 5.5southeast of the Loyalty Islands31y ago · 51 km E of this epicenter
- 5.5southeast of the Loyalty Islands31y ago · 46 km E of this epicenter
- 4.7southeast of the Loyalty Islands31y ago · 41 km E of this epicenter
- 5.9southeast of the Loyalty Islands31y ago · 35 km NE of this epicenter
Regional history
Past M5+ earthquakes within 300 km
USGS lists 480 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 7.7249 km E of Vao, New CaledoniaMay 16, 1995 · 53 km NW of this epicenter
- 7.6274 km ESE of Tadine, New CaledoniaMarch 16, 1928 · 99 km N of this epicenter
- 7.2southeast of the Loyalty IslandsNovember 14, 1906 · 151 km NE of this epicenter
- 7.2207 km E of Tadine, New CaledoniaOctober 25, 1980 · 159 km N of this epicenter
- 7.1southeast of the Loyalty IslandsAugust 17, 1935 · 155 km NE of this epicenter
- 7.1southeast of the Loyalty IslandsApril 14, 1906 · 145 km NE of this epicenter
- 7.1175 km SE of Isangel, VanuatuMarch 30, 1910 · 279 km N of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 5 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700. The most severe:
- 1901M7.9
Loyalty Islands
9 Aug 1901 · 143 km away
Moderate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 1995M7.7
Noumea; Vanuatu: Port-Vila
16 May 1995 · 53 km away · intensity III
tsunami
- 1928M7.5
Loyalty Islands
16 Mar 1928 · 139 km away
- 1943M7.5
Loyalty Islands
14 Sep 1943 · 154 km away
- 1944M7.5
Loyalty Islands
5 Oct 1944 · 188 km away
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.