In the early morning of Thursday September 12th, 2024, a shallow and significant Magnitude 5.8 earthquake hit in the Coral Sea 277 kilometer from Port-Vila, Vanuatu. Roughly 180 thousand people may have felt this earthquake.
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Earthquake Summary
This earthquake hit under water in the Coral Sea, right off the coast of Vanuatu (4 mi offshore), 277 kilometer north of Port-Vila in Shefa. The center of this earthquake had a very shallow depth of 19 km. Shallow earthquakes usually have a larger impact than earthquakes deep in the earth.
| Date and Time: | Sep 12, 2024 06:22AM (Efate Time) - Sep 11, 2024 19:22 Universal Time. |
|---|---|
| Location: | 277 km north of Port-Vila, Shefa, Vanuatu. Coordinates 15°15'25"S 168°3'57"E. |
| Map: |  Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps. |
| Magnitude: | MAG 5.8 Detected by 42 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.048 . |
| Depth: | 19 km (12 mi) A very shallow depth. |
| Max. Intensity: | VII
Very Strong On the Modified Mercalli Scale. |
| Tsunami Risk: | Low tsunami risk Earthquakes under MAG-6.5 do not usually cause tsunami's. Always stay cautious - More info here. |
Minimal impact predicted
Based on scientific estimates by the US Geographic Survey (USGS), the risk of high fatalities for this earthquake is classified at level GREEN (low). They expect an 65% likelyhood of between 0 and 1 fatalities, and a 96% chance that the number of fatalities falls no higher than 10.
The USGS classifies the economic impact of this earthquake at level GREEN (low). They expect an 65% likelyhood of between 0 and 1 million US Dollars in economic damage and impact, and a 96% chance that the economic impact of this earthquake falls no higher than 10 million USD.
Roughly 180 thousand people exposed to shaking
The USGS has published a report estimating the number of people exposed to this earthquake. Acoording to their analysis, roughly 180 thousand have been exposed to shaking at an MMI level of II or higher.
An estimated 1,960 people were exposed to level VI. At this level, strong shaking and probably light damage can be expected. Intensity level III was experienced by the majority of people (around 130 thousand). In their region, weak shaking and probably no damage can be expected. All exposure to shaking was within the borders of Vanuatu .
| People | MMI Level | Shaking | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | I |
Not noticable | None |
| 0 | II |
Very weak | None |
| 131,000 | III |
Weak | Probably none |
| 34,520 | IV |
Light | Likely none |
| 12,200 | V |
Moderate | Very light |
| 1,960 | VI |
Strong | Light |
| 0 | VII |
Very Strong | Moderate |
| 0 | VIII |
Severe | Moderate to heavy |
| 0 | IX |
Violent | Heavy |
| 0 | X |
Extreme | Very heavy |
Nearby towns and cities
This earthquake may have been felt in Vanuatu . Port-Vila in Shefa, Vanuatu is the nearest significant place from the epicenter. The earthquake occurred 277 kilometer (172 mi) north of Port-Vila.
Overview of nearby places
| Distance | Place |
|---|---|
| 277 km (172 mi) S from epicenter |
Port-Vila Shefa, Vanuatu. |
Earthquake Intensity Map
The maximum intensity (MMI Scale) caused by this earthquake is VI. The map below shows in which areas this earthquake was the most and least impactful. It is based on data from the US Geographic Survey.
9 Aftershocks detected
Since this main shock, 9 smaller aftershocks were detected. Just 2 days after this main shock, an earthquake measuring MAG-5 was detected 16 km (10 mi) south-southeast of this earthquake.
Before this earthquake struck, 3 smaller foreshocks occurred. Nearby this earthquake a foreshock struck 1 hr earlier. It measured a magnitude of 5.7
Overview of foreshocks and aftershocks
| Classification | Magnitude | When | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| Foreshock | M 4.3 |
7 hrs earlier Sep 11, 2024 11:46PM (Efate Time) | 94 km (58 mi) SSW from Main Shock. |
| Foreshock | M 5.7 |
1 hr earlier Sep 12, 2024 05:17AM (Efate Time) | 23 km (14 mi) E from Main Shock. |
| Foreshock | M 5.1 |
36 mins earlier Sep 12, 2024 05:46AM (Efate Time) | 13 km (8 mi) WSW from Main Shock. |
| Main Shock This Earthquake |
M 5.8 |
Sep 12, 2024 06:22AM (Efate Time) | - |
| Aftershock | M 4.8 |
3 mins later Sep 12, 2024 06:26AM (Efate Time) | 24 km (15 mi) ENE from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 4.5 |
19 mins later Sep 12, 2024 06:41AM (Efate Time) | 19 km (12 mi) E from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 4.6 |
27 mins later Sep 12, 2024 06:49AM (Efate Time) | 25 km (15 mi) NE from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 4.4 |
29 mins later Sep 12, 2024 06:52AM (Efate Time) | 33 km (20 mi) ENE from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 5.0 |
29 mins later Sep 12, 2024 06:52AM (Efate Time) | 14 km (9 mi) ENE from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 4.9 |
1 hr later Sep 12, 2024 07:36AM (Efate Time) | 13 km (8 mi) E from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 4.5 |
1 hr later Sep 12, 2024 07:44AM (Efate Time) | 53 km (33 mi) E from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 4.4 |
2 hrs later Sep 12, 2024 08:22AM (Efate Time) | 13 km (8 mi) E from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 5.0 |
2 days later Sep 14, 2024 01:03PM (Efate Time) | 16 km (10 mi) SSE from Main Shock. |
More earthquakes coming?
Aftershocks are usually at least 1 order of magnitude less strong than main shocks. The more time passes, the smaller the chance and likely strength of any potential aftershocks.
The chance that a significant earthquake like this one is followed by an even larger earthquake is not so large. On average, scientists estimate a 94% chance that a major earthquake will not be followed by an even larger one. It is still adviced to be aware of this risk
Read: How to Stay Safe during an Earthquake (cdc.gov).Earthquakes like this happen often in the region
Earthquakes of this strength are very common in the region. This is the strongest earthquake to hit since July 22nd, 2024, when a 6.1 magnitude earthquake hit 87 km (54 mi) further south. An even stronger magnitude 7.1 earthquake struck on October 20th, 2015.
In total, 73 earthquakes with a magnitude of 5.8 or higher have been registered within 300km (186 mi) of this epicenter in the past 10 years. This comes down to an average of once every 2 months.
Low tsunami risk
Based on early data it appears this earthquake was not strong enough (lower than MAG-6.5) to be likely to cause destructive tsunami's. However this earthquake appeared to have hit at a shallow depth under sea, so stay cautious and monitor advice from local authorities.
Tsunami Risk Factors
| Factor | Under Sea? | MAG-6.5 or stronger? | Shallow depth? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Explanation | Almost all tsunami's are caused by earthquakes with their epicenter under sea or very near the sea. However stay cautious in coastal areas as earthquakes on land may cause landslides into sea, potentially still causing a local tsunami. | Under MAG 6.5: Very unlikely to cause a tsunami. MAG 6.5 to 7.5: Destructive tsunami's do occur, but are uncommon. Likely to observe small sea level changes. MAG 7.6+: Earthquakes with these magnitudes might produce destructive tsunami's. |
Most destructive tsunami's are caused by shallow earthquakes with a depth between 0 and 100km under the surface of the earth. Deeper tsunami's are unlikely to displace to ocean floor. |
| This Earthquake | This earthquake appears to have struck under the sea. | Not this earthquake. This earthquake had a magnitude of 5.8. Earthquakes of this strength are unlikely to trigger a tsunami. |
This earthquake occurred at a depth of of 19 km (12 mi). Earthquakes this shallow could trigger a tsunami. |
Sources
Last updated 10/11/24 03:38 (). As more information on this earthquake becomes available this article will be updated. This article is automatically composed based on data originating from multiple sources.
- US Geographic Society (USGS): Earthquake us7000nd53
- European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20240911_0000203
- Geonames.org: World Cities Database
- Google Maps: Static API
- Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database
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