A shallow and significant M5.2 earthquake struck in the Coral Sea 290 kilometer from Port-Vila, Vanuatu in the early morning of Sunday May 12th, 2024.
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Earthquake Summary
This earthquake hit under water in the Coral Sea, right off the coast of Vanuatu (1 mi offshore), 290 kilometer north of Port-Vila in Shefa. The center of this earthquake had a quite shallow depth of 27 km. Shallow earthquakes usually have a larger impact than earthquakes deep in the earth.
| Date and Time: | May 12, 2024 05:27AM (Efate Time) - May 11, 2024 18:27 Universal Time. |
|---|---|
| Location: | 290 km north of Port-Vila, Shefa, Vanuatu. Coordinates 15°8'5"S 168°6'10"E. |
| Map: |  Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps. |
| Magnitude: | MAG 5.2 Detected by 20 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.069 . |
| Depth: | 27 km (17 mi) A quite shallow depth. |
| Tsunami Risk: | Low tsunami risk Earthquakes under MAG-6.5 do not usually cause tsunami's. Always stay cautious - More info here. |
Nearby towns and cities
This earthquake may have been felt in Vanuatu . Port-Vila in Shefa, Vanuatu is the nearest significant place from the epicenter. The earthquake occurred 290 kilometer (180 mi) north of Port-Vila.
Overview of nearby places
| Distance | Place |
|---|---|
| 290 km (180 mi) S from epicenter |
Port-Vila Shefa, Vanuatu. |
Aftershocks detected
This main shock was prefaced by 3 smaller foreshocks. A 5.1 magnitude earthquake hit 3 days earlier nearby.
Overview of foreshocks and aftershocks
| Classification | Magnitude | When | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| Foreshock | M 5.1 |
3 days earlier May 9, 2024 02:08PM (Efate Time) | 9 km (5 mi) WSW from Main Shock. |
| Foreshock | M 5.0 |
2 days earlier May 10, 2024 11:50AM (Efate Time) | 23 km (14 mi) NW from Main Shock. |
| Foreshock | M 4.9 |
2 days earlier May 10, 2024 12:21PM (Efate Time) | 14 km (8 mi) NE from Main Shock. |
| Main Shock This Earthquake |
M 5.2 |
May 12, 2024 05:27AM (Efate Time) | - |
More earthquakes coming?
Aftershocks are usually at least 1 order of magnitude less strong than main shocks. The more time passes, the smaller the chance and likely strength of any potential aftershocks.
In only six percent of cases, significant earthquakes are followed by a larger main shock, making the current earthquake a foreshock. While the chance of this happening is not so large, it is adviced to maintain cautiousness in the hours and days following a major earthquake.
Read: How to Stay Safe during an Earthquake (cdc.gov).Earthquakes like this happen often in the region
Earthquakes of this strength are very common in the region. This is the strongest earthquake to hit since May 8th, 2024, when a 5.4 magnitude earthquake hit 14 km (9 mi) further south. An even stronger magnitude 7.1 earthquake struck on October 20th, 2015.
In total, 152 earthquakes with a magnitude of 5.2 or higher have been registered within 300km (186 mi) of this epicenter in the past 10 years. This comes down to an average of once every 24 days.
Low tsunami risk
Based on early data it appears this earthquake was not strong enough (lower than MAG-6.5) to be likely to cause destructive tsunami's. However this earthquake appeared to have hit at a shallow depth under sea, so stay cautious and monitor advice from local authorities.
Tsunami Risk Factors
| Factor | Under Sea? | MAG-6.5 or stronger? | Shallow depth? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Explanation | Almost all tsunami's are caused by earthquakes with their epicenter under sea or very near the sea. However stay cautious in coastal areas as earthquakes on land may cause landslides into sea, potentially still causing a local tsunami. | Under MAG 6.5: Very unlikely to cause a tsunami. MAG 6.5 to 7.5: Destructive tsunami's do occur, but are uncommon. Likely to observe small sea level changes. MAG 7.6+: Earthquakes with these magnitudes might produce destructive tsunami's. |
Most destructive tsunami's are caused by shallow earthquakes with a depth between 0 and 100km under the surface of the earth. Deeper tsunami's are unlikely to displace to ocean floor. |
| This Earthquake | This earthquake appears to have struck under the sea. | Not this earthquake. This earthquake had a magnitude of 5.2. Earthquakes of this strength are unlikely to trigger a tsunami. |
This earthquake occurred at a depth of of 27 km (17 mi). Earthquakes this shallow could trigger a tsunami. |
Sources
Last updated 11/05/24 18:58 (). As more information on this earthquake becomes available this article will be updated. This article is automatically composed based on data originating from multiple sources.
- US Geographic Society (USGS): Earthquake us6000mxys
- European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20240511_0000205
- Geonames.org: World Cities Database
- Google Maps: Static API
- Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database
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