Moderate mag. 5.6 earthquake - Coral Sea, 35 km northeast of Port-Olry, Sanma Province, Vanuatu, on Sunday, 29 Nov 2020 8:01 pm (GMT +11) -
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Moderate magnitude 5.6 earthquake at 111 km depth
29 Nov 09:11 UTC: First to report: GFZ after 9 minutes.
29 Nov 09:13: Magnitude recalculated from 5.6 to 5.7. Hypocenter depth recalculated from 10.0 to 115.0 km (from 6.2 to 71 mi). Epicenter location corrected by 16 km (9.8 mi) towards SSW.
29 Nov 09:37: Magnitude recalculated from 5.7 to 5.6.
29 Nov 09:44: Hypocenter depth recalculated from 115.0 to 111.0 km (from 71 to 69 mi). Epicenter location corrected by 3.5 km (2.2 mi) towards SSW.
29 Nov 09:13: Magnitude recalculated from 5.6 to 5.7. Hypocenter depth recalculated from 10.0 to 115.0 km (from 6.2 to 71 mi). Epicenter location corrected by 16 km (9.8 mi) towards SSW.
29 Nov 09:37: Magnitude recalculated from 5.7 to 5.6.
29 Nov 09:44: Hypocenter depth recalculated from 115.0 to 111.0 km (from 71 to 69 mi). Epicenter location corrected by 3.5 km (2.2 mi) towards SSW.
Update Sun, 29 Nov 2020, 09:15
Moderate yet deep earthquake of magnitude 5.7 just reported 88 km north of Luganville, Vanuatu
5.7 quake 29 Nov 8:01 pm (GMT +11)
An earthquake of magnitude 5.7 occurred in the evening on Sunday 29 November 2020 at 8.01 pm local time near Port-Olry, Vanuatu, as reported by the German Research Centre for Geosciences (GFZ).
According to preliminary data, the quake was located at an intermediate depth of 115 km. The strength of the earthquake may have been tempered by its relative great depth below the surface, which makes it feel weaker in absolute terms. 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.
A second report was later issued by Indonesia's Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysical Agency (BMKG), which listed it as a magnitude 5.8 earthquake. A third agency, the European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC), reported the same quake at magnitude 5.4.
Based on the preliminary seismic data, the quake was probably felt by many people in the area of the epicenter. It should not have caused significant damage, other than objects falling from shelves, broken windows, etc. Weak shaking might have been felt in Port-Olry (pop. 2,000) located 39 km from the epicenter, Luganville (pop. 13,400) 88 km away, Sola (pop. 1,200) 101 km away, Norsup (pop. 3,000) 150 km away, and Lakatoro (pop. 700) 154 km away.
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.
According to preliminary data, the quake was located at an intermediate depth of 115 km. The strength of the earthquake may have been tempered by its relative great depth below the surface, which makes it feel weaker in absolute terms. 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.
A second report was later issued by Indonesia's Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysical Agency (BMKG), which listed it as a magnitude 5.8 earthquake. A third agency, the European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC), reported the same quake at magnitude 5.4.
Based on the preliminary seismic data, the quake was probably felt by many people in the area of the epicenter. It should not have caused significant damage, other than objects falling from shelves, broken windows, etc. Weak shaking might have been felt in Port-Olry (pop. 2,000) located 39 km from the epicenter, Luganville (pop. 13,400) 88 km away, Sola (pop. 1,200) 101 km away, Norsup (pop. 3,000) 150 km away, and Lakatoro (pop. 700) 154 km away.
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: Sunday, 29 Nov 2020 8:01 pm (GMT +11)
Magnitude: 5.6
Depth: 111.0 km
Epicenter latitude / longitude: 14.76°S / 167.22°E
(Coral Sea, Vanuatu)Nearest volcano: Gaua (43 km / 27 mi)
Nearby towns and cities:
35 km (22 mi) NNE of Port-Olry (pop: 1,950) --> See nearby quakes!
85 km (53 mi) N of Luganville (pop: 13,400) --> See nearby quakes!
105 km (65 mi) SSW of Sola (pop: 1,170) --> See nearby quakes!
146 km (91 mi) N of Norsup (pop: 3,000) --> See nearby quakes!
351 km (218 mi) NNW of Port Vila (pop: 35,900) --> See nearby quakes!
475 km (295 mi) SSE of Lata (Santa Cruz Islands, Solomon Islands) (pop: 553) --> See nearby quakes!
151 km (94 mi) NW of Pentecost Island (pop: 16,800) --> See nearby quakes!
171 km (106 mi) N of Malakula Island (pop: 22,900) --> See nearby quakes!
60 km (37 mi) N of Lataroa Island --> See nearby quakes!
Weather at epicenter at time of quake:
Light Rain
26.9°C (80 F), humidity: 82%, wind: 7 m/s (14 kts) from ESE
Primary data source: GFZ (German Research Centre for Geosciences)
Light Rain
26.9°C (80 F), humidity: 82%, wind: 7 m/s (14 kts) from ESEEstimated released energy: 1.6 x 1013 joules (4.4 gigawatt hours, equivalent to 3788 tons of TNT or 0.2 atomic bombs!) More info
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.
| Magnitude | Depth | Location | Source |
| M 5.6 | 111 km | Vanuatu Islands | GFZ |
| M 5.6 | 114 km | VANUATU | EMSC |
| M 5.8 | 10 km | Vanuatu Islands | BMKG |
| M 5.6 | 109 km | Vanuatu | USGS |
| M 5.6 | 105 km | Vanuatu Islands | GeoAu |
User reports for this quake
User reports estimate the perceived ground shaking intensity according to the MMI (Modified Mercalli Intensity) scale.
There are no user reports for this quake yet. If you felt it be the first to report it!
Please check again later while we are collecting more data.
Aftershocks
Moderate mag. 5.6 earthquake - Coral Sea, 35 km northeast of Port-Olry, Sanma Province, Vanuatu, on Sunday, 29 Nov 2020 8:01 pm (GMT +11)Please check again later while we are collecting more data.
Earlier earthquakes in the same area
Moderate mag. 5.6 earthquake - Coral Sea, 35 km northeast of Port-Olry, Sanma Province, Vanuatu, on Sunday, 29 Nov 2020 8:01 pm (GMT +11)Click here to search our database for earlier earthquakes in the same area since 1900!
