Reviewed by USGSVanuatu27y ago
M4.9 earthquake 78 km E of Lakatoro, Vanuatu
Saturday, November 27, 1999, 12:14:04 UTC · 16.161°S, 168.143°E
A magnitude 4.9 earthquake struck 78 km E of Lakatoro, Vanuatu on Saturday, November 27, 1999, 12:14:04 UTC, at a depth of 33.0 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M5.9 on November 26, 1999.
- Magnitude
- 4.9
- Light · mb
- 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: 50 km aftershock search area
In context
How big was it, and why here?
Energy released
338 tons of TNT
That is about 1/45 of the Hiroshima bomb. A magnitude 5.0 releases about 1 times more energy.
Tectonic setting
161 km
from the nearest mapped plate boundary, between the New Hebrides and Australian plates. Earthquakes this far from a boundary happen on faults inside a plate, often less frequently but sometimes strongly.
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 50 km
USGS lists 2 M2.5+ earthquakes within 50 km in the following 30 days; the largest was M5.0 on December 23, 1999. Most nearby activity right after a large earthquake is aftershocks, which usually become less frequent over days and weeks.
Regional history
Past M5+ earthquakes within 300 km
USGS lists 1,002 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 7.999 km SW of Port-Vila, VanuatuDecember 2, 1950 · 251 km S of this epicenter
- 7.745 km NNE of Port-Olry, VanuatuMay 20, 1965 · 196 km NW of this epicenter
- 7.631 km S of Luganville, VanuatuAugust 11, 1965 · 110 km W of this epicenter
- 7.581 km NW of Port-Olry, VanuatuDecember 28, 1973 · 251 km NW of this epicenter
- 7.592 km ESE of Lakatoro, VanuatuNovember 26, 1999 · 30 km S of this epicenter
- 7.447 km WSW of Norsup, VanuatuNovember 9, 1910 · 121 km W of this epicenter
- 7.443 km W of Norsup, VanuatuAugust 13, 1965 · 123 km W of this epicenter
- 7.3207 km E of Sola, VanuatuFebruary 19, 1905 · 267 km NE of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 30 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 11 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1999M7.5
Pentecost
26 Nov 1999 · 30 km away
10 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1971M7.1
Espiritu Santo, Port Vila
27 Oct 1971 · 125 km away · intensity VII
1 deathSevere damage ($5–24M)
- 1965M7.6
Vanuatu Islands
11 Aug 1965 · 109 km away
Moderate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 1973M7.5
Espiritu Santo, Luganille
28 Dec 1973 · 251 km away · intensity VII
Moderate damage ($1–5M)
- 1910M7.2
Espiritu Santo
10 Nov 1910 · 298 km away
Moderate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 1973M7.2
Luganville, Lamap
29 Dec 1973 · 176 km away · intensity VIII
Moderate damage ($1–5M)
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.