Reviewed by USGS16y ago
M4.5 earthquake in Vanuatu
Wednesday, September 8, 2010, 15:23:33 UTC · 17.271°S, 167.811°E
A magnitude 4.5 earthquake struck in Vanuatu on Wednesday, September 8, 2010, 15:23:33 UTC, at a depth of 35.0 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M4.7 on September 8, 2010.
- 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
69 km
from the nearest mapped plate boundary, between the New Hebrides and Australian 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 M5.0 on October 2, 2010. 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 1,357 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 7.999 km SW of Port-Vila, VanuatuDecember 2, 1950 · 124 km S of this epicenter
- 7.745 km NNE of Port-Olry, VanuatuMay 20, 1965 · 299 km N of this epicenter
- 7.663 km NW of Isangel, VanuatuOctober 14, 1913 · 233 km SE of this epicenter
- 7.631 km S of Luganville, VanuatuAugust 11, 1965 · 176 km N of this epicenter
- 7.592 km ESE of Lakatoro, VanuatuNovember 26, 1999 · 104 km NE of this epicenter
- 7.447 km WSW of Norsup, VanuatuNovember 9, 1910 · 140 km NW of this epicenter
- 7.443 km W of Norsup, VanuatuAugust 13, 1965 · 154 km NW of this epicenter
- 7.447 km NW of Isangel, VanuatuOctober 11, 1992 · 250 km SE of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 38 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 · 104 km away
10 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1971M7.1
Espiritu Santo, Port Vila
27 Oct 1971 · 207 km away · intensity VII
1 deathSevere damage ($5–24M)
- 1965M7.6
Vanuatu Islands
11 Aug 1965 · 176 km away
Moderate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 1973M7.2
Luganville, Lamap
29 Dec 1973 · 258 km away · intensity VIII
Moderate damage ($1–5M)
- 1990M6.4
Espiritu Santo
27 Jul 1990 · 216 km away · intensity V
Moderate damage ($1–5M)
- 1909
Espiritu Santo
8 Jul 1909 · 207 km away
Moderate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.