Reviewed by USGSVanuatu18y ago
M5.3 earthquake 57 km ENE of Isangel, Vanuatu
Tuesday, November 25, 2008, 06:03:14 UTC · 19.434°S, 169.819°E
A magnitude 5.3 earthquake struck 57 km ENE of Isangel, Vanuatu on Tuesday, November 25, 2008, 06:03:14 UTC, at a depth of 76.5 km (intermediate). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M5.3 on November 18, 2008.
- Magnitude
- 5.3
- Moderate · mwc
- Depth
- 77 km
- Intermediate
- 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
184 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: intermediate
77 km
Intermediate-depth earthquakes usually break inside a plate that is sinking into the mantle. Shaking spreads over a wide area but is gentler at the epicenter than a shallow quake of the same size.
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 2 M2.5+ earthquakes within 75 km in the following 30 days; the largest was M4.6 on December 5, 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 1,178 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 · 153 km SW of this epicenter
- 7.999 km SW of Port-Vila, VanuatuDecember 2, 1950 · 256 km NW of this epicenter
- 7.828 km ESE of Isangel, VanuatuJune 16, 1910 · 34 km SW of this epicenter
- 7.663 km NW of Isangel, VanuatuOctober 14, 1913 · 102 km W of this epicenter
- 7.447 km NW of Isangel, VanuatuOctober 11, 1992 · 94 km W of this epicenter
- 7.363 km S of Port-Vila, VanuatuJuly 23, 1961 · 204 km NW of this epicenter
- 7.371 km SW of Isangel, VanuatuApril 9, 2008 · 120 km SW 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 26 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1875M8.1
Loyalty Islands: Lifou Island
28 Mar 1875 · 152 km away
26 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1901M7.9
Loyalty Islands
9 Aug 1901 · 286 km away
Moderate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 1920M8.1
Loyalty Islands
20 Sep 1920 · 153 km away
Limited damage (under $1M)tsunami
- 1878M7.5
Tanna Island
10 Jan 1878 · 147 km away
Limited damage (under $1M)tsunami
- 1961M7.3
Vanuatu Islands
23 Jul 1961 · 186 km away · intensity VI
Limited damage (under $1M)tsunami
- 2002M7.2
Efate, Port Vila
2 Jan 2002 · 291 km away
Limited damage (under $1M)tsunami
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.