QuakeScout
Magnitude5.1

Reviewed by USGSVanuatu16y ago

M5.1 earthquake 67 km E of Lakatoro, Vanuatu

Sunday, September 5, 2010, 01:49:50 UTC · 16.129°S, 168.042°E

A magnitude 5.1 earthquake struck 67 km E of Lakatoro, Vanuatu on Sunday, September 5, 2010, 01:49:50 UTC, at a depth of 187.5 km (intermediate). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M5.2 on August 16, 2010.

Magnitude
5.1
Moderate · mwc
Depth
188 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 earthquake

In context

How big was it, and why here?

Energy released

674 tons of TNT

That is about 1/22 of the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 1 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.

Tectonic setting

153 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

188 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 has not published any M2.5+ earthquake within 75 km in the 30 days after this event.

Regional history

Past M5+ earthquakes within 300 km

USGS lists 1,398 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:

  1. 7.999 km SW of Port-Vila, VanuatuDecember 2, 1950 · 253 km S of this epicenter
  2. 7.745 km NNE of Port-Olry, VanuatuMay 20, 1965 · 188 km NW of this epicenter
  3. 7.631 km S of Luganville, VanuatuAugust 11, 1965 · 99 km W of this epicenter
  4. 7.581 km NW of Port-Olry, VanuatuDecember 28, 1973 · 241 km NW of this epicenter
  5. 7.592 km ESE of Lakatoro, VanuatuNovember 26, 1999 · 37 km SE of this epicenter
  6. 7.447 km WSW of Norsup, VanuatuNovember 9, 1910 · 111 km W of this epicenter
  7. 7.443 km W of Norsup, VanuatuAugust 13, 1965 · 112 km W of this epicenter
  8. 7.3207 km E of Sola, VanuatuFebruary 19, 1905 · 270 km NE of this epicenter

History · NOAA

Deadliest earthquakes in this area

NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 36 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 11 recorded deaths. The most severe:

  1. 1999M7.5

    Pentecost

    26 Nov 1999 · 37 km away

    10 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami

  2. 1971M7.1

    Espiritu Santo, Port Vila

    27 Oct 1971 · 114 km away · intensity VII

    1 deathSevere damage ($5–24M)

  3. 1965M7.6

    Vanuatu Islands

    11 Aug 1965 · 97 km away

    Moderate damage ($1–5M)tsunami

  4. 1973M7.5

    Espiritu Santo, Luganille

    28 Dec 1973 · 242 km away · intensity VII

    Moderate damage ($1–5M)

  5. 1910M7.2

    Espiritu Santo

    10 Nov 1910 · 289 km away

    Moderate damage ($1–5M)tsunami

  6. 1973M7.2

    Luganville, Lamap

    29 Dec 1973 · 166 km away · intensity VIII

    Moderate damage ($1–5M)

NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.

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