Reviewed by USGSVanuatu17y ago
M4.5 earthquake 121 km WNW of Sola, Vanuatu
Thursday, December 3, 2009, 19:42:37 UTC · 13.338°S, 166.574°E
A magnitude 4.5 earthquake struck 121 km WNW of Sola, Vanuatu on Thursday, December 3, 2009, 19:42:37 UTC, at a depth of 35.0 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M4.5 on November 28, 2009.
- Magnitude
- 4.5
- Light · 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
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
42 km
from the nearest mapped plate boundary, between the New Hebrides and Pacific 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 1 M2.5+ earthquake within 50 km in the following 30 days; the largest was M4.7 on December 19, 2009. 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 1,712 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 7.9199 km S of Lata, Solomon IslandsJuly 17, 1980 · 115 km NW of this epicenter
- 7.8146 km SSE of Lata, Solomon IslandsDecember 31, 1966 · 164 km N of this epicenter
- 7.8186 km NNW of Sola, VanuatuDecember 17, 1957 · 103 km N of this epicenter
- 7.8196 km NW of Sola, VanuatuOctober 7, 2009 · 94 km N of this epicenter
- 7.745 km NNE of Port-Olry, VanuatuMay 20, 1965 · 161 km SE of this epicenter
- 7.7171 km NNW of Sola, VanuatuApril 21, 1997 · 85 km N of this epicenter
- 7.7148 km NW of Sola, VanuatuOctober 7, 2009 · 38 km N of this epicenter
- 7.7138 km SSE of Lata, Solomon IslandsJuly 18, 1934 · 170 km N of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 32 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 1 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1971M7.1
Espiritu Santo, Port Vila
27 Oct 1971 · 250 km away · intensity VII
1 deathSevere damage ($5–24M)
- 1965M7.6
Vanuatu Islands
11 Aug 1965 · 282 km away
Moderate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 1973M7.5
Espiritu Santo, Luganille
28 Dec 1973 · 125 km away · intensity VII
Moderate damage ($1–5M)
- 1910M7.2
Espiritu Santo
10 Nov 1910 · 74 km away
Moderate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 1973M7.2
Luganville, Lamap
29 Dec 1973 · 201 km away · intensity VIII
Moderate damage ($1–5M)
- 1990M6.4
Espiritu Santo
27 Jul 1990 · 244 km away · intensity V
Moderate damage ($1–5M)
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.