In the early morning of Friday December 20th, 2024, a shallow and significant M5.1 earthquake hit in the Coral Sea 296 kilometer from Nouméa, New Caledonia. Another country near the epicenter is Vanuatu.
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Earthquake Summary
This earthquake hit under water in the Coral Sea, 128 kilometers (80 mi) off the coast of New Caledonia, 296 kilometer north-east of Nouméa in South Province. The center of this earthquake had a quite shallow depth of 26 km. Shallow earthquakes usually have a larger impact than earthquakes deep in the earth.
| Date and Time: | Dec 20, 2024 05:36 (Noumea Time) - Dec 19, 2024 18:36 Universal Time. |
|---|---|
| Location: | 296 km NE of Nouméa, South Province, New Caledonia. Coordinates 20°18'58"S 168°23'13"E. |
| Map: |  Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps. |
| Magnitude: | MAG 5.1 Detected by 14 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.083 . |
| Depth: | 26 km (16 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 struck within proximity of multiple countries. New Caledonia and Vanuatu are both within 300km distance of its epicenter.
The closest significant population center near the earthquake is Dumbéa in South Province, New Caledonia. Dumbéa is located 286 kilometer (178 mi) north-east of the epicenter.
The table below provides an overview of all places in proximity of today's earthquake.
Overview of nearby places
| Distance | Place |
|---|---|
| 286 km (178 mi) SW from epicenter |
Dumbéa South Province, New Caledonia. |
| 287 km (178 mi) SW from epicenter |
Mont-Dore South Province, New Caledonia. |
| 287 km (178 mi) N from epicenter |
Port-Vila Shefa, Vanuatu. |
| 296 km (184 mi) SW from epicenter |
Nouméa South Province, New Caledonia. |
Risk of aftershocks?
We monitor for foreshocks or aftershocks that have a magnitude of 2.5+ and occur within 100km (62 mi) of the epicenter of this earthquake. So far no such earthquakes have been detected.
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.
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).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 December 18th, 2024, when a 5.2 magnitude earthquake hit 300 km (186 mi) further north. An even stronger magnitude 7.5 earthquake struck on December 5th, 2018.
In total, 221 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 17 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 5.1. Earthquakes of this strength are unlikely to trigger a tsunami. |
This earthquake occurred at a depth of of 26 km (16 mi). Earthquakes this shallow could trigger a tsunami. |
Sources
Last updated 21/12/24 14:28 (). 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.
- US Geographic Society (USGS): Earthquake us7000p04r
- European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20241219_0000233
- Geonames.org: World Cities Database
- Google Maps: Static API
- Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database
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