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List of earthquakes in Vanuatu

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Earthquakes in Vanuatu are frequent and are sometimes accompanied by tsunami, though these events are not often destructive. The archipelago, which was formerly known as New Hebrides, lies atop a complex and active plate boundary in the southwestern Pacific Ocean.

Tectonic setting

The primary tectonic feature of the 1,200 km (750 mi) island chain is the New Hebrides Subduction Zone, the convergent northeast boundary of the Indo-Australian Plate. Volcanic activity is also present along this north-northwest trending and northeast-dipping oceanic trench. Along the Wadati–Benioff zone, earthquake activity has been observed as shallow, intermediate, and deep-focus events at depths of up to 700 km (430 mi).[1]

Earthquakes

Date Region M MMI Fatalities Injuries Comments
1909-07-08 Moderate damage / tsunami NGDC
1910-11-10 Moderate damage / tsunami NGDC
1965-08-11 7.6 Mw Moderate damage / tsunami NGDC
1971-10-28 7.1 Ms VII 1 Some Severe damage NGDC
1973-12-29 7.5 Ms VII Moderate damage NGDC
1973-12-29 7.2 Ms VIII Moderate damage NGDC
1990-07-27 Espiritu Santo 6.4 Mb V 2 Moderate damage NGDC
1997-04-21 Santa Cruz Islands 7.7 Mw Some damage / tsunami [2]
1999-11-27 Ambrym 7.5 Mw 10 40 Landslides / damage / five killed by tsunami [3]
2002-01-03 7.2 Mw Several Rockslides / damage [4]
2002-11-28 5.9 Mw 3 Landslides / damage [5]
2009-05-29 5.7 Mw 10 Landslides / damage [6]
2009-06-03 6.3 Mw 4 Landslides [7]

See also

References

  1. ^ Yeats, R. (2012), Active Faults of the World, Cambridge University Press, p. 478, ISBN 978-0521190855
  2. ^ USGS. "M7.7 - Santa Cruz Islands". United States Geological Survey.
  3. ^ USGS. "M7.5 - Vanuatu". United States Geological Survey.
  4. ^ USGS. "M7.2 - Vanuatu". United States Geological Survey.
  5. ^ USGS. "M5.9 - Vanuatu". United States Geological Survey.
  6. ^ USGS. "M5.7 - Vanuatu". United States Geological Survey.
  7. ^ USGS. "M6.3 - Vanuatu". United States Geological Survey.
Sources
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