On Tuesday Afternoon an Unusually powerful M7.3 Earthquake struck in the Coral Sea near Port-Vila (Vanuatu).

Written by Earthquakelist.org on December 17th, 2024. Last updated January 19th, 2025.

An unusually powerful Magnitude 7.3 earthquake struck in the Coral Sea 25 kilometer from Port-Vila, Vanuatu in the early afternoon of Tuesday December 17th, 2024. The USGS has indicated there is a potential risk at tsunami's following this earthquake.

Earthquake Summary

This earthquake hit under water in the Coral Sea, right off the coast of Vanuatu (5 mi offshore), 25 kilometer west of Port-Vila in Shefa. The center of this earthquake had a quite shallow depth of 54 km. Shallow earthquakes usually have a larger impact than earthquakes deep in the earth.

Date and Time:	Dec 17, 2024 12:47PM (Efate Time) - Dec 17, 2024 01:47 Universal Time.
Location:	25 km west of Port-Vila, Shefa, Vanuatu. Coordinates 17°41'29"S 168°5'3"E.
Map:	Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps.
Magnitude:	MAG 7.3 Detected by 14 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.036 .
Depth:	54 km (34 mi) A quite shallow depth.
Max. Intensity:	IX Violent On the Modified Mercalli Scale.
Tsunami Risk:	Potential tsunami risk The USGS has indicated there is a potential risk at tsunami's following this earthquake. Always stay cautious - More info here.

Potential tsunami risk

DISCLAIMER: We strongly suggest to closely monitor advice from local authorities with regards to tsunami risks. Our analysis is based on automatically collected data from external sources, and these might contain mistakes. In addition, earthquakes can cause landslides that may lead to a tsunami, or be a followed by another, potentially stonger, earthquake.

There is a potential tsunami risk in the aftermath of this earthquake, immediately evacuate to higher grounds away from coastal areas and monitor advice from local authorities. The US Geographic Survey organization has indicated a potential risk for tsunami's following this earthquake.

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.	This earthquake had a magnitude of 7.3. Earthquakes of this strength could trigger a tsunami.	This earthquake occurred at a depth of of 54 km (34 mi). Earthquakes this shallow could trigger a tsunami.

Significant impact predicted

The US Geographic Survey (USGS) describes the impact of this earthquake as follows:

At least 14 people killed, including several landslide victims, 265 injured and 2,435 displaced; thousands of homes destroyed, many roads, bridges, public infrastructure, an airport and 2 reservoirs damaged on Efate. Several landslides were triggered on Efate. A tsunami was generated with maximum recorded wave heights of 25 cm at Port-Vila and 17 cm at Lenakel.

Based on scientific estimates by the USGS, the risk of high fatalities for this earthquake is classified at level YELLOW (significant). They expect an 41% likelyhood of between 10 and 100 fatalities, and a 95% chance that the number of fatalities falls between 1 and 10,000.

The USGS classifies the economic impact of this earthquake at level YELLOW (significant). They expect an 45% likelyhood of between 10 and 100 million US Dollars in economic damage and impact, and a 93% chance that the economic impact of this earthquake falls between 1 and 1,000 million USD.

Roughly 310 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 310 thousand have been exposed to shaking at an MMI level of II or higher.

The highest earthquake impact level for this earthquake is IX, which corresponds with violent shaking and likely heavy damage. Roughly 1,720 people are expected to be exposed to this level. Intensity level IV was experienced by the majority of people (around 160 thousand). In their region, light shaking and likely no damage can be expected.

People in 2 countries have been exposed to shaking. In Vanuatu , around 310 thousand people, with impact levels up to IX (violent shaking, likely heavy damage). People were exposed to shaking in New Caledonia as well.

People	MMI Level	Shaking	Damage
0	I	Not noticable	None
0	II	Very weak	None
460	III	Weak	Probably none
160,200	IV	Light	Likely none
38,120	V	Moderate	Very light
20,250	VI	Strong	Light
7,090	VII	Very Strong	Moderate
83,850	VIII	Severe	Moderate to heavy
1,720	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 25 kilometer (16 mi) west of Port-Vila. The intensity of shaking and damage in Port-Vila is estimated to be around level VIII on the Modified Mercalli Intensity scale (severe shaking, likely moderate to heavy damage).

A complete list of nearby places is included below. Estimated intensity data (MMI) sourced from a shake-map published by the US Geographic Survey is shown where available (cities without data probably experienced little impact).

Overview of nearby places

Cities and Towns around the epicenter of this earthquake.
Distance	Place	Intensity (MMI)
25 km (16 mi) E from epicenter	Port-Vila Shefa, Vanuatu.	VIII Severe
525 km (326 mi) SSW from epicenter	Dumbéa South Province, New Caledonia.
532 km (331 mi) SSW from epicenter	Mont-Dore South Province, New Caledonia.
537 km (334 mi) SSW from epicenter	Nouméa South Province, New Caledonia.

Earthquake Intensity Map

The maximum intensity (MMI Scale) caused by this earthquake is IX. 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.

I Not felt

II Weak

III Weak

IV Light

V Moderate

VI Strong

VII Very Strong

VIII Severe

IX Violent

X Extreme

Earthquake Intensity Map based on Shakemap Data provided by USGS.

Shaking reported by 71 people in 4 countries

People that feel an earthquake may report their experience to the US Geographic Survey. Currently, 71 people have reported shaking in 11 places in 4 countries (Australia, Vanuatu, New Caledonia, New Zealand).We keep updating this article as more ground reports become available. You may report that you felt this earthquake here.

Places with most reports:

Vila, Shefa, Vanuatu: 44 people.
Nouméa, Sud, New Caledonia: 15 people.
Isangel, Tafea, Vanuatu: 2 people.
Bouloupari, Sud, New Caledonia: 2 people.
Dumbéa, Sud, New Caledonia: 2 people.
Brisbane, Queensland, Australia: 1 person.
Luganville, Sanma, Vanuatu: 1 person.
Mont-Doré, Sud, New Caledonia: 1 person.
Païta, Sud, New Caledonia: 1 person.
Fayaoué, Îles, New Caledonia: 1 person.

29 Aftershocks detected

This main shock was followed by 29 smaller aftershocks. Just 17 hrs after this main shock, an earthquake measuring MAG-5.5 was detected 10 km (6 mi) east-southeast of this earthquake.

Overview of foreshocks and aftershocks

Detected MAG2.5+ earthquakes within within 100km (62 mi), that occurred in the three days before and after the main shock.
Classification	Magnitude	When	Where
Main Shock This Earthquake	M 7.3	Dec 17, 2024 12:47PM (Efate Time)	-
Aftershock	M 5.3	6 mins later Dec 17, 2024 12:53PM (Efate Time)	10 km (6 mi) SW from Main Shock.
Aftershock	M 4.2	47 mins later Dec 17, 2024 01:34PM (Efate Time)	6 km (4 mi) NE from Main Shock.
Aftershock	M 4.6	1 hr later Dec 17, 2024 01:48PM (Efate Time)	58 km (36 mi) WNW from Main Shock.
Aftershock	M 4.7	1 hr later Dec 17, 2024 02:06PM (Efate Time)	47 km (29 mi) SW from Main Shock.
Aftershock	M 4.6	1 hr later Dec 17, 2024 02:08PM (Efate Time)	6 km (4 mi) N from Main Shock.
Aftershock	M 4.1	1 hr later Dec 17, 2024 02:16PM (Efate Time)	49 km (31 mi) SW from Main Shock.
Aftershock	M 5.0	2 hrs later Dec 17, 2024 02:37PM (Efate Time)	23 km (14 mi) SW from Main Shock.
Aftershock	M 5.0	2 hrs later Dec 17, 2024 02:48PM (Efate Time)	33 km (21 mi) SSW from Main Shock.
Aftershock	M 4.7	2 hrs later Dec 17, 2024 03:07PM (Efate Time)	36 km (23 mi) S from Main Shock.
Aftershock	M 5.4	3 hrs later Dec 17, 2024 03:18PM (Efate Time)	30 km (18 mi) SSW from Main Shock.
Aftershock	M 4.7	3 hrs later Dec 17, 2024 04:02PM (Efate Time)	45 km (28 mi) SW from Main Shock.
Aftershock	M 4.6	3 hrs later Dec 17, 2024 04:17PM (Efate Time)	26 km (16 mi) SSW from Main Shock.
Aftershock	M 4.4	5 hrs later Dec 17, 2024 05:57PM (Efate Time)	40 km (25 mi) SSW from Main Shock.
Aftershock	M 4.6	6 hrs later Dec 17, 2024 06:47PM (Efate Time)	21 km (13 mi) SSE from Main Shock.
Aftershock	M 4.6	6 hrs later Dec 17, 2024 06:47PM (Efate Time)	41 km (26 mi) SSW from Main Shock.
Aftershock	M 4.8	8 hrs later Dec 17, 2024 08:59PM (Efate Time)	10 km (6 mi) E from Main Shock.
Aftershock	M 5.1	9 hrs later Dec 17, 2024 09:49PM (Efate Time)	38 km (24 mi) SSW from Main Shock.
Aftershock	M 4.5	12 hrs later Dec 18, 2024 12:50AM (Efate Time)	83 km (52 mi) SW from Main Shock.
Aftershock	M 4.6	13 hrs later Dec 18, 2024 02:10AM (Efate Time)	13 km (8 mi) SE from Main Shock.
Aftershock	M 4.3	15 hrs later Dec 18, 2024 03:39AM (Efate Time)	60 km (37 mi) WSW from Main Shock.
Aftershock	M 5.5	17 hrs later Dec 18, 2024 05:17AM (Efate Time)	10 km (6 mi) ESE from Main Shock.
Aftershock	M 4.7	17 hrs later Dec 18, 2024 05:29AM (Efate Time)	17 km (11 mi) SSW from Main Shock.
Aftershock	M 4.8	18 hrs later Dec 18, 2024 07:02AM (Efate Time)	8 km (5 mi) NNE from Main Shock.
Aftershock	M 4.1	19 hrs later Dec 18, 2024 07:59AM (Efate Time)	31 km (19 mi) SE from Main Shock.
Aftershock	M 4.6	21 hrs later Dec 18, 2024 10:13AM (Efate Time)	21 km (13 mi) E from Main Shock.
Aftershock	M 4.3	22 hrs later Dec 18, 2024 11:13AM (Efate Time)	6 km (4 mi) S from Main Shock.
Aftershock	M 4.6	2 days later Dec 19, 2024 02:30AM (Efate Time)	53 km (33 mi) ENE from Main Shock.
Aftershock	M 5.2	2 days later Dec 19, 2024 04:53AM (Efate Time)	9 km (6 mi) W from Main Shock.
Aftershock	M 4.7	2 days later Dec 19, 2024 09:43PM (Efate Time)	6 km (4 mi) NNE 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.

In only six percent of cases, significant earthquakes are followed by a larger main shock, making the current earthquake a foreshock. While the chance of this happening is not so large, it is adviced to maintain cautiousness in the hours and days following a major earthquake.

Read: How to Stay Safe during an Earthquake (cdc.gov).

This is an unusually powerful earthquake

No earthquake of this strength has struck this region for a long time. Our data goes back 10 years, and no earthquakes measuring a magnitude of 7.3 or higher have been detected within 300 km (186 mi) of this epicenter.

Sources

Last updated 19/01/25 01:18 (). This article is automatically generated based on available data. We keep checking multiple sources for additional information. This article gets updated as new details on this earthquake become available.