Shallow M6.3 earthquake hits off the coast of Loyalty Islands, New Caledonia

A strong and shallow earthquake registered by the USGS as M6.3 hit off the coast of New Caledonia on 01:23 UTC on May 19, 2019. The agency is reporting a depth of 20 km (12.4 miles). EMSC is reporting M6.2 at a depth of 10 km (6.2 miles).

The epicenter was located 199 km (123 miles) E of Tadine, 242 km (150 miles) SSE of Isangel and 276 km (172 miles) ESE of We, New Caledonia.

There are no people living within 100 km (62 miles).

The 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 informal (metal, timber, GI etc.) and wood construction.

Estimated population exposure to earthquake shaking

Regional seismicity

Featured image credit: Google, TW/SAM