Moderate mag. 5.2 earthquake - Coral Sea, 85 km northwest of Sola, Torba, Vanuatu, on Wednesday, Jan 20, 2021 at 7:18 am (GMT +11)
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Moderate magnitude 5.2 earthquake at 53 km depth
19 Jan 20:28 UTC: First to report: GFZ after 10 minutes.
19 Jan 21:07: Magnitude recalculated from 5.3 to 5.2. Hypocenter depth recalculated from 10.0 to 48.0 km (from 6.2 to 30 mi). Epicenter location corrected by 19 km (12 mi) towards ESE.
19 Jan 21:08: Hypocenter depth recalculated from 48.0 to 53.0 km (from 30 to 33 mi). Epicenter location corrected by 4.5 km (2.8 mi) towards WSW.
19 Jan 21:07: Magnitude recalculated from 5.3 to 5.2. Hypocenter depth recalculated from 10.0 to 48.0 km (from 6.2 to 30 mi). Epicenter location corrected by 19 km (12 mi) towards ESE.
19 Jan 21:08: Hypocenter depth recalculated from 48.0 to 53.0 km (from 30 to 33 mi). Epicenter location corrected by 4.5 km (2.8 mi) towards WSW.
Update Tue, 19 Jan 2021, 20:33
Significant magnitude 5.3 earthquake 100 km northwest of Sola, Vanuatu5.3 quake 20 Jan 7:18 am (GMT +11)
An earthquake of magnitude 5.3 occurred only 15 minutes ago 100 km northwest of Sola, Vanuatu, the German Research Centre for Geosciences (GFZ) reported.
The quake hit at a shallow depth of 10 km beneath the epicenter near Sola, Torba, Vanuatu, in the morning on Wednesday 20 January 2021 at 7:18 am 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 European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC) which listed the quake at magnitude 5.1.
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 Sola (pop. 1,200) located 100 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 Sola, Torba, Vanuatu, in the morning on Wednesday 20 January 2021 at 7:18 am 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 European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC) which listed the quake at magnitude 5.1.
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 Sola (pop. 1,200) located 100 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
Earthquake details
| Date & time | Jan 19, 2021 20:18:19 UTC |
| Local time at epicenter | Wednesday, Jan 20, 2021 at 7:18 am (GMT +11) |
| Status | Confirmed |
| Magnitude | 5.2 |
| Depth | 53.0 km |
| Epicenter latitude / longitude | 13.42°S / 166.92°E  (Coral Sea, Vanuatu) |
| Antipode | 13.42°N / 13.08°W |
| Shaking intensity | Light shaking near epicenter |
| Felt | 0 reports |
| Primary data source | GFZ (German Research Centre for Geosciences) |
| Nearest volcano | Suretamatai (88 km / 55 mi) |
| Nearby towns and cities | 85 km (53 mi) NW of Sola (pop: 1,170) | Show on map | Quakes nearby 181 km (113 mi) N of Port-Olry (pop: 1,950) | Show on map | Quakes nearby 235 km (146 mi) N of Santo (Luganville) (pop: 13,400) | Show on map | Quakes nearby 299 km (186 mi) N of Norsup (pop: 3,000) | Show on map | Quakes nearby 324 km (201 mi) SSE of Lata (Santa Cruz Islands, Solomon Islands) (pop: 553) | Show on map | Quakes nearby 51 km (32 mi) SE of Hiw Island (pop: 269) | Show on map | Quakes nearby 323 km (201 mi) NNW of Malakula Island (pop: 22,900) | Show on map | Quakes nearby |
| Weather at epicenter at time of quake | Light Rain  28.8°C (84 F), humidity: 74%, wind: 4 m/s (7 kts) from NE |
| Estimated seismic energy released | 4 x 1012 joules (1.11 gigawatt hours, equivalent to 951 tons of TNT) | 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 |
| 5.2 | 53 km | Vanuatu Islands | GFZ |
| 5.1 | 60 km | VANUATU | EMSC |
| 5.1 | 46 km | 99 Km NW of Sola, Vanuatu | USGS |
| 5.2 | 61 km | Vanuatu Islands | GeoAu |
| 5.5 | 57 km | Vanuatu Islands | BMKG |
User reports for this quake
User reports estimate the perceived ground shaking intensity according to the MMI (Modified Mercalli Intensity) scale.
Aftershocks
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Recorded aftershocks, latest first (0 quake)
So far, no aftershocks have been registered.
Earlier earthquakes in the same area
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