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Strong aftershocks shaking Loyalty Islands, New Caledonia after shallow M7.0

strong-aftershocks-shaking-loyalty-islands-new-caledonia-after-shallow-m7-0

A series of strong aftershocks hit Loyalty Islands, New Caledonia following very strong M7.0 earthquake that struck the region early October 31, 2017. All of them occurred at depths between 5.7 and 19.4 km (3.5 – 12 miles).

Between 00:42 UTC, October 31 and 05:21 UTC today, USGS registered a total of 22 earthquakes, with the strongest being M6.8 (M7.0 according to Geoscience Australia), the first in series. October 31 ended with 12 more earthquakes in the same area, with magnitudes ranging from 4.6 to 5.9.

November 1 started with M6.1 at 00:09 UTC, M6.6 at 02:23, the second strongest so far, and M6.0 at 05:09.

Loyalty Islands, New Caledonia M6.6 earthquake November 1, 2017 shakemap

Small tsunami waves have been observed following M6.6, PTWC said, adding that persons along coastal areas should be observant and exercise normal caution. "Otherwise, no action is needed."

Tsunami observations following M6.6 earthquake, Loyalty Islands, New Caledonia on November 1, 2017

USGS issued a green alert for shaking-related fatalities and economic losses. There is a low likelihood of casualties and damage. 

Overall, the population in this region resides in structures that are highly vulnerable to earthquake shaking, though some resistant structures exist. The predominant vulnerable building types are unknown/miscellaneous types and wood construction.

There are no reports of injuries or damage.

A spokesman for the government in Noumea, the New Caledonia capital, and staff of two hotels contacted by Reuters said they did not feel yesterday's M7.0.

Loyalty Islands, New Caledonia earthquakes on October 31 and November 1, 2017

Image credit: Google, EMSC

  1. 4.7

    133km ESE of Tadine, New Caledonia

    2017-11-01 05:21:50 (UTC)

  2. 5.3

    142km ESE of Tadine, New Caledonia

    2017-11-01 05:14:15 (UTC)

  3. 6.0

    110km ESE of Tadine, New Caledonia

    2017-11-01 05:09:00 (UTC)

  4. 4.9

    152km E of Tadine, New Caledonia

    2017-11-01 04:53:48 (UTC)

  5. 4.5

    101km E of Tadine, New Caledonia

    2017-11-01 04:19:19 (UTC)

  6. 4.9

    82km E of Tadine, New Caledonia

    2017-11-01 04:13:21 (UTC)

  7. 6.6

    103km E of Tadine, New Caledonia

    2017-11-01 02:23:56 (UTC)

  8. 4.9

    110km ESE of Tadine, New Caledonia

    2017-11-01 02:11:06 (UTC)

  9. 6.1

    109km E of Tadine, New Caledonia

    2017-11-01 00:09:30 (UTC)

  10. 5.0

    108km E of Tadine, New Caledonia

    2017-10-31 23:59:47 (UTC)

  11. 5.1

    97km E of Tadine, New Caledonia

    2017-10-31 23:06:04 (UTC)

  12. 5.3

    99km ESE of Tadine, New Caledonia

    2017-10-31 22:50:16 (UTC)

  13. 4.7

    100km ESE of Tadine, New Caledonia

    2017-10-31 22:29:05 (UTC)

  14. 5.0

    114km ESE of Tadine, New Caledonia

    2017-10-31 20:22:44 (UTC)

  15. 4.9

    98km E of Tadine, New Caledonia

    2017-10-31 19:46:49 (UTC)

  16. 5.2

    100km E of Tadine, New Caledonia

    2017-10-31 19:41:17 (UTC)

  17. 5.4

    98km E of Tadine, New Caledonia

    2017-10-31 19:22:09 (UTC)

  18. 4.6

    148km E of Tadine, New Caledonia

    2017-10-31 15:25:19 (UTC)

  19. 5.1

    135km E of Tadine, New Caledonia

    2017-10-31 02:39:16 (UTC)

  20. 5.9

    105km E of Tadine, New Caledonia

    2017-10-31 02:20:46 (UTC)

  21. 5.0

    145km E of Tadine, New Caledonia

    2017-10-31 01:40:10 (UTC)

  22. 6.8

    137km E of Tadine, New Caledonia

    2017-10-31 00:42:06 (UTC)

 

Featured image credit: Google, EMSC

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