Reviewed by USGSNew Caledonia18y ago
M3.8 earthquake 106 km ENE of Wé, New Caledonia
Wednesday, June 11, 2008, 15:53:20 UTC · 20.394°S, 168.128°E
A magnitude 3.8 earthquake struck 106 km ENE of Wé, New Caledonia on Wednesday, June 11, 2008, 15:53:20 UTC, at a depth of 35.0 km (shallow).
- Magnitude
- 3.8
- Minor · mb
- Depth
- 35 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
8 tons of TNT
That is about 1/1,992 of the Hiroshima bomb. A magnitude 5.0 releases about 63 times more energy.
Tectonic setting
11 km
from the nearest mapped plate boundary, between the African and South American plates. Earthquakes cluster along boundaries like this one, where plates collide, pull apart or slide past each other.
Depth: shallow
35 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 4 M2.5+ earthquakes within 50 km in the following 30 days; the largest was M4.6 on June 13, 2008. 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 1,117 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 8.11920 Vanuatu EarthquakeSeptember 20, 1920 · 59 km NE of this epicenter
- 7.999 km SW of Port-Vila, VanuatuDecember 2, 1950 · 230 km N of this epicenter
- 7.828 km ESE of Isangel, VanuatuJune 16, 1910 · 173 km NE of this epicenter
- 7.663 km NW of Isangel, VanuatuOctober 14, 1913 · 168 km NE of this epicenter
- 7.447 km NW of Isangel, VanuatuOctober 11, 1992 · 154 km NE of this epicenter
- 7.363 km S of Port-Vila, VanuatuJuly 23, 1961 · 233 km N of this epicenter
- 7.371 km SW of Isangel, VanuatuApril 9, 2008 · 87 km NE of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 29 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 26 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1875M8.1
Loyalty Islands: Lifou Island
28 Mar 1875 · 59 km away
26 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1901M7.9
Loyalty Islands
9 Aug 1901 · 264 km away
Moderate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 1920M8.1
Loyalty Islands
20 Sep 1920 · 59 km away
Limited damage (under $1M)tsunami
- 1878M7.5
Tanna Island
10 Jan 1878 · 160 km away
Limited damage (under $1M)tsunami
- 1961M7.3
Vanuatu Islands
23 Jul 1961 · 221 km away · intensity VI
Limited damage (under $1M)tsunami
- 1913M8.1
Vanuatu Islands
14 Oct 1913 · 135 km away
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.