A significant MAG-5.1 earthquake struck in the Coral Sea 272 kilometer from Port-Vila, Vanuatu in the night of Saturday September 28th, 2024.
Felt the earthquake? Share this article:
Earthquake Summary
This earthquake hit under water in the Coral Sea, 39 kilometers (24 mi) off the coast of Vanuatu, 272 kilometer south-southeast of Port-Vila in Shefa. The center of this earthquake had an intermediate depth of 103 km.
Date and Time: | Sep 28, 2024 01:58AM (Efate Time) - Sep 27, 2024 14:58 Universal Time. |
---|---|
Location: | 272 km SSE of Port-Vila, Shefa, Vanuatu. Coordinates 19°59'23"S 169°18'31"E. |
Map: | Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps. |
Magnitude: | MAG 5.1 Detected by 19 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.071 . |
Depth: | 103 km (64 mi) An intermediate depth. |
Tsunami Risk: | Tsunami very unlikely Earthquakes under MAG-6.5 at depths deeper than 100km are very unlikely to cause tsunami's. Always stay cautious - More info here. |
Nearby towns and cities
This earthquake may have been felt in Vanuatu . The closest significant population center near the earthquake is Port-Vila in Shefa, Vanuatu. Port-Vila is located 272 kilometer (169 mi) south-southeast of the epicenter.
Overview of nearby places
Distance | Place |
---|---|
272 km (169 mi) NNW from epicenter |
Port-Vila Shefa, Vanuatu. |
Aftershocks detected
After this earthquake struck, 1 smaller aftershock occurred. A 4.8 magnitude earthquake hit 7 hrs later 81 km (51 mi) north of this earthquake.
Overview of foreshocks and aftershocks
Classification | Magnitude | When | Where |
---|---|---|---|
Main Shock This Earthquake |
M 5.1 |
Sep 28, 2024 01:58AM (Efate Time) | - |
Aftershock | M 4.8 |
7 hrs later Sep 28, 2024 09:04AM (Efate Time) | 81 km (51 mi) N from Main Shock. |
More earthquakes coming?
The risk of aftershocks decreases rapidly over time. Usually, aftershocks are at least one order of magnitude lower than a main shock.
It's always adviced to be cautious of the risk of a larger shock following any significant earthquake, however this risk is fairly small. There is a roughly 94 percent change that no larger main shock will follow in the days following this earthquake.
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 September 16th, 2024, when a 5.4 magnitude earthquake hit 90 km (56 mi) further south. An even stronger magnitude 7.5 earthquake struck on December 5th, 2018.
In total, 226 earthquakes with a magnitude of 5.1 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 16 days.
Tsunami very unlikely
For a serious tsunami to occur, earthquakes usually need to have a magnitude of at least 6.5 and occur at a shallow depth of maximum 100km. Neither are the case with this earthquake. However always 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 5.1. Earthquakes of this strength are unlikely to trigger a tsunami. |
Not this earthquake. This earthquake occurred at a depth of 103 km (64 mi). Earthquakes this deep in the earth are unlikely to trigger a tsunami. |
Sources
Last updated 14/10/24 16:38 (). 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.