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Eton reef, Efate (134.7 km NNE of epicenter) [Map] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / single lateral shake / 2-5 s
port vila / Weak shaking (MMI III) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 2-5 s
Very strong mag. 6.2 earthquake - VANUATU on Thursday, 18 February 2021 at 06:37 (GMT) - information
Very strong mag. 6.2 earthquake - Coral Sea, 133 km south of Port Vila, Shefa Province, Vanuatu, on Thursday, Feb 18, 2021 at 5:37 pm (GMT +11)
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Very strong magnitude 6.2 earthquake at 10 km depth
18 Feb 06:46 UTC: First to report: EMSC after 9 minutes.
18 Feb 06:48: Hypocenter depth recalculated from 10.0 to 60.0 km (from 6.2 to 37 mi). Epicenter location corrected by 18 km (11 mi) towards SE.
18 Feb 07:05: Hypocenter depth recalculated from 60.0 to 10.0 km (from 37 to 6.2 mi). Epicenter location corrected by 7.9 km (4.9 mi) towards N.
18 Feb 06:48: Hypocenter depth recalculated from 10.0 to 60.0 km (from 6.2 to 37 mi). Epicenter location corrected by 18 km (11 mi) towards SE.
18 Feb 07:05: Hypocenter depth recalculated from 60.0 to 10.0 km (from 37 to 6.2 mi). Epicenter location corrected by 7.9 km (4.9 mi) towards N.
Update Thu, 18 Feb 2021, 06:51
Significant magnitude 5.7 quake hits 140 km southwest of Port Vila, Vanuatu in the afternoon 5.7 quake 18 Feb 5:37 pm (GMT +11)
An earthquake of magnitude 5.7 occurred only 14 minutes ago 140 km southwest of Port Vila, Vanuatu, the European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC) reported.
The quake hit at a shallow depth of 10 km beneath the epicenter near Port Vila, Shefa Province, Vanuatu, in the afternoon on Thursday 18 February 2021 at 5:37 pm local time. The exact magnitude, epicenter, and depth of the quake might be revised within the next few hours or minutes as seismologists review data and refine their calculations, or as other agencies issue their report.
Our monitoring service identified a second report from the German Research Centre for Geosciences (GFZ) which listed the quake at magnitude 6.1.
Based on the preliminary seismic data, the quake should not have caused any significant damage, but was probably felt by many people as light vibration in the area of the epicenter.
Weak shaking might have been felt in Port Vila (pop. 35,900) located 140 km from the epicenter.
VolcanoDiscovery will automatically update magnitude and depth if these change and follow up if other significant news about the quake become available. If you're in the area, please send us your experience through our reporting mechanism, either online or via our mobile app. This will help us provide more first-hand updates to anyone around the globe who wants to know more about this quake.
The quake hit at a shallow depth of 10 km beneath the epicenter near Port Vila, Shefa Province, Vanuatu, in the afternoon on Thursday 18 February 2021 at 5:37 pm local time. The exact magnitude, epicenter, and depth of the quake might be revised within the next few hours or minutes as seismologists review data and refine their calculations, or as other agencies issue their report.
Our monitoring service identified a second report from the German Research Centre for Geosciences (GFZ) which listed the quake at magnitude 6.1.
Based on the preliminary seismic data, the quake should not have caused any significant damage, but was probably felt by many people as light vibration in the area of the epicenter.
Weak shaking might have been felt in Port Vila (pop. 35,900) located 140 km from the epicenter.
VolcanoDiscovery will automatically update magnitude and depth if these change and follow up if other significant news about the quake become available. If you're in the area, please send us your experience through our reporting mechanism, either online or via our mobile app. This will help us provide more first-hand updates to anyone around the globe who wants to know more about this quake.
Earthquake data
Local time at epicenter: Thursday, Feb 18, 2021 at 5:37 pm (GMT +11)
Magnitude: 6.2
Depth: 10.0 km
Epicenter latitude / longitude: 18.9°S / 168.02°E
(Coral Sea, Vanuatu)Antipode: 18.9°N / 11.98°W
Nearest volcano: Traitor's Head (128 km / 80 mi)
Nearby towns and cities:
133 km (83 mi) SSW of Port Vila (pop: 35,900) --> See nearby quakes!
151 km (94 mi) WNW of Isangel (pop: 1,440) --> See nearby quakes!
238 km (148 mi) NNE of Wé (Lifou, New Caledonia) (pop: 10,400) --> See nearby quakes!
249 km (155 mi) NE of Fayaoué (New Caledonia) (pop: 4,410) --> See nearby quakes!
295 km (183 mi) N of Tadine (Maré, New Caledonia) (pop: 7,490) --> See nearby quakes!
322 km (200 mi) SSE of Norsup (pop: 3,000) --> See nearby quakes!
387 km (240 mi) SSE of Santo (Luganville) (pop: 13,400) --> See nearby quakes!
397 km (247 mi) NNE of Dumbéa (New Caledonia) (pop: 19,300) --> See nearby quakes!
403 km (251 mi) NNE of Mont-Dore (New Caledonia) (pop: 24,700) --> See nearby quakes!
409 km (254 mi) NNE of Noumea (New Caledonia) (pop: 93,100) --> See nearby quakes!
160 km (99 mi) WNW of Tanna Island (pop: 28,800) --> See nearby quakes!
Weather at epicenter at time of quake:
Light Rain
28.8°C (84 F), humidity: 68%, wind: 0 m/s (1 kts) from W
Primary data source: EMSC (European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre)
Light Rain
28.8°C (84 F), humidity: 68%, wind: 0 m/s (1 kts) from WEstimated released energy: 1.3 x 1014 joules (35 gigawatt hours, equivalent to 30089 tons of TNT or 1.9 atomic bombs!) | about seismic energy
Data for the same earthquake reported by different agencies
Info: The more agencies report about the same quake and post similar data, the more confidence you can have in the data. It takes normally up to a few hours until earthquake parameters are calculated with near-optimum precision.
| Mag. | Depth | Location | Source |
| 6.2 | 10 km | VANUATU | EMSC |
| 6.2 | 10 km | Vanuatu Islands | GFZ |
| 6.1 | 10 km | 135 Km SSW of Port-Vila, Vanuatu | USGS |
| 6.2 | 29 km | Vanuatu Islands | GeoAu |
| 6.3 | 19 km | Vanuatu Islands [Sea: Vanuatu] | INGV |
| 6.1 | 10 km | Vanuatu Islands | BMKG |
User reports for this quake (2)
User reports estimate the perceived ground shaking intensity according to the MMI (Modified Mercalli Intensity) scale.
Aftershocks
[More info]
Recorded aftershocks, latest first (2 quakes)
Date and time | Mag Depth | Location | Details |
| May 29, 2021 01:44 51 weeks ago | 4.7 35 km | Coral Sea, 69 km S of Port Vila, Shefa Province, Vanuatu | More |
| Apr 27, 2021 13:07 1 year 4 weeks ago | 4.9 10 km | Coral Sea, 167 km SW of Port Vila, Shefa Province, Vanuatu | More |
Earlier earthquakes in the same area
Click here to search our database for earlier earthquakes in the same area since 1900!
