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Strong mag. 6.2 earthquake - Coral Sea, 14 km northeast of Malakula Island, Malampa Province, Vanuatu, on Thursday, 6 January 1955 at 02:22 (GMT)

Strong magnitude 6.2 earthquake at 35 km depth
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Date & time: 6 Jan 1955 02:22:45 UTC
Magnitude: 6.2Depth: 35.0 km
Epicenter latitude / longitude: 16.171°S / 167.585°E

(
Coral Sea,
Vanuatu)
Nearest volcano:
Ambrym (58 km / 36 mi)
Nearby towns and cities:20 km (12 mi) ESE of Lakatoro (pop: 705) -->
See nearby quakes!85 km (53 mi) SSE of Luganville (pop: 13,400) -->
See nearby quakes!137 km (85 mi) SSE of Port-Olry (pop: 1,950) -->
See nearby quakes!191 km (118 mi) NNW of Port Vila (pop: 35,900) -->
See nearby quakes!255 km (159 mi) S of Sola (pop: 1,170) -->
See nearby quakes!416 km (258 mi) NNW of Isangel (pop: 1,440) -->
See nearby quakes!Primary data source:
USGS (United States Geological Survey)
Estimated released energy: 1.3 x 10
14 joules (35 gigawatt hours, equivalent to 30089 tons of TNT or 1.9 atomic bombs!)
More info[show map]
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Data for the same earthquake reported by different agencies
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Magnitude | Depth | Location | Source |
M 6.2 | 35 km | Vanuatu | USGS |
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Aftershocks
More info
Based on its magnitude, the fault that was active during the quake ruptured along a surface of approx. 158 km
2 (=61 sqare miles) as a first-order estimate. The length of the rupture zone thus was probably around 22 km (14 mi).
Aftershocks typically occur during the weeks and months following the quake at or near the same fault, at distances of up to approx. two times the length of the rupture zone.
The often broadly linear arrangement of aftershock epicenters encompasses the rupture zone of the main shock (check on the
map below to verify).
Recorded aftershocks, latest first (0 quakes):So far, no aftershocks have been registered.Earlier earthquakes in the same area
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