In the night of Thursday December 19th, 2024, a significant M5.2 aftershock hit in the Coral Sea 31 kilometer from Port-Vila, Vanuatu.
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Earthquake Summary
This earthquake hit under water in the Coral Sea, right off the coast of Vanuatu (9 mi offshore), 31 kilometer west-northwest of Port-Vila in Shefa. The center of this earthquake had a quite shallow depth of 67 km. Shallow earthquakes usually have a larger impact than earthquakes deep in the earth.
| Date and Time: | Dec 19, 2024 04:53AM (Efate Time) - Dec 18, 2024 17:53 Universal Time. |
|---|---|
| Location: | 31 km WNW of Port-Vila, Shefa, Vanuatu. Coordinates 17°38'21"S 168°2'5"E. |
| Map: |  Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps. |
| Magnitude: | MAG 5.2 Detected by 24 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.063 . |
| Depth: | 67 km (42 mi) A quite shallow depth. |
| Tsunami Risk: | Low tsunami risk Earthquakes under MAG-6.5 do not usually 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 31 kilometer (19 mi) west-northwest of the epicenter.
Overview of nearby places
| Distance | Place |
|---|---|
| 31 km (19 mi) ESE from epicenter |
Port-Vila Shefa, Vanuatu. |
This is likely an aftershock
This earthquake is likely an aftershock of the MAG-7.3 earthquake that struck 2 days earlier. That main earthquake hit 5 km (3 mi) south of the epicenter of this MAG-5.2 aftershock.
Overview of foreshocks and aftershocks
| Classification | Magnitude | When | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| Main Shock | M 7.3 |
Dec 17, 2024 12:47PM (Efate Time) | - |
| Aftershock | M 5.5 |
6 mins later Dec 17, 2024 12:53PM (Efate Time) | 11 km (7 mi) SW from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 5.0 |
1 hr later Dec 17, 2024 01:48PM (Efate Time) | 43 km (26 mi) WNW from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 4.7 |
1 hr later Dec 17, 2024 02:06PM (Efate Time) | 54 km (34 mi) SW from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 4.9 |
2 hrs later Dec 17, 2024 02:37PM (Efate Time) | 16 km (10 mi) SSW from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 5.0 |
2 hrs later Dec 17, 2024 02:48PM (Efate Time) | 18 km (11 mi) SSW from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 4.7 |
2 hrs later Dec 17, 2024 03:07PM (Efate Time) | 44 km (27 mi) S from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 5.4 |
3 hrs later Dec 17, 2024 03:18PM (Efate Time) | 28 km (17 mi) SSW from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 4.7 |
3 hrs later Dec 17, 2024 04:02PM (Efate Time) | 41 km (25 mi) SSW from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 4.5 |
3 hrs later Dec 17, 2024 04:17PM (Efate Time) | 27 km (17 mi) S from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 4.6 |
6 hrs later Dec 17, 2024 06:47PM (Efate Time) | 25 km (15 mi) SE from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 4.6 |
6 hrs later Dec 17, 2024 06:47PM (Efate Time) | 40 km (25 mi) SSW from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 4.8 |
8 hrs later Dec 17, 2024 08:59PM (Efate Time) | 16 km (10 mi) E from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 5.1 |
9 hrs later Dec 17, 2024 09:49PM (Efate Time) | 36 km (22 mi) SSW from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 5.5 |
16 hrs later Dec 18, 2024 05:17AM (Efate Time) | 14 km (9 mi) E from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 4.7 |
17 hrs later Dec 18, 2024 05:29AM (Efate Time) | 16 km (10 mi) SSE from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 4.9 |
18 hrs later Dec 18, 2024 07:02AM (Efate Time) | 13 km (8 mi) SW from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock This Earthquake |
M 5.2 |
2 days later Dec 19, 2024 04:53AM (Efate Time) | 5 km (3 mi) N from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 4.8 |
4 days later Dec 21, 2024 04:04AM (Efate Time) | 36 km (23 mi) SSW from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 6.1 |
5 days later Dec 22, 2024 02:30AM (Efate Time) | 2.8 km (1.7 mi) SSW 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. In total, 130 earthquakes with a magnitude of 5.2 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 28 days.
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 5.2. Earthquakes of this strength are unlikely to trigger a tsunami. |
This earthquake occurred at a depth of of 67 km (42 mi). Earthquakes this shallow could trigger a tsunami. |
Sources
Last updated 21/12/24 16:28 (). This article contains currently available information about the earthquake and is automatically composed. We continue to update this article up to a few days after the earthquake occurred.
- US Geographic Society (USGS): Earthquake us7000nzux
- European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20241218_0000204
- Geonames.org: World Cities Database
- Google Maps: Static API
- Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database
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