Reviewed by USGSVanuatu27y ago
M4.5 earthquake 71 km NE of Norsup, Vanuatu
Saturday, January 8, 2000, 07:05:01 UTC · 15.577°S, 167.837°E
A magnitude 4.5 earthquake struck 71 km NE of Norsup, Vanuatu on Saturday, January 8, 2000, 07:05:01 UTC, at a depth of 33.0 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M4.6 on January 8, 2000.
- Magnitude
- 4.5
- 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 earthquake
In context
How big was it, and why here?
Energy released
85 tons of TNT
That is about 1/178 of the Hiroshima bomb. A magnitude 5.0 releases about 6 times more energy.
Tectonic setting
163 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 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 1,161 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 7.745 km NNE of Port-Olry, VanuatuMay 20, 1965 · 124 km NW of this epicenter
- 7.631 km S of Luganville, VanuatuAugust 11, 1965 · 75 km W of this epicenter
- 7.581 km NW of Port-Olry, VanuatuDecember 28, 1973 · 181 km NW of this epicenter
- 7.592 km ESE of Lakatoro, VanuatuNovember 26, 1999 · 102 km SE of this epicenter
- 7.447 km WSW of Norsup, VanuatuNovember 9, 1910 · 117 km SW of this epicenter
- 7.443 km W of Norsup, VanuatuAugust 13, 1965 · 109 km SW of this epicenter
- 7.3207 km E of Sola, VanuatuFebruary 19, 1905 · 238 km NE of this epicenter
- 7.344 km SSW of Sola, VanuatuJanuary 5, 1915 · 158 km N of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 26 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 · 102 km away
10 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1971M7.1
Espiritu Santo, Port Vila
27 Oct 1971 · 69 km away · intensity VII
1 deathSevere damage ($5–24M)
- 1965M7.6
Vanuatu Islands
11 Aug 1965 · 73 km away
Moderate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 1973M7.5
Espiritu Santo, Luganille
28 Dec 1973 · 182 km away · intensity VII
Moderate damage ($1–5M)
- 1910M7.2
Espiritu Santo
10 Nov 1910 · 227 km away
Moderate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 1973M7.2
Luganville, Lamap
29 Dec 1973 · 113 km away · intensity VIII
Moderate damage ($1–5M)
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.