M6.1 earthquake hits off the coast of Isangel, Vanuatu
Image credit: TW/SAM, Google
A strong earthquake registered by the USGS as M6.1 hit off the coast of Isangel, Vanuatu at 05:01 UTC on January 8, 2021. The agency is reporting a depth of 117 km (72 miles). EMSC is reporting M6.1 at a depth of 120 km (75 miles).
The epicenter was located 147 km (91 miles) SSE of Isangel, Vanuatu and 273 km (169 miles) E of We, Loyalty Islands, New Caledonia.
There are about 600 people living within 100 km (62 miles).
43 000 people are estimated to have felt weak shaking.
There is no tsunami threat from this earthquake.
Image credit: TW/SAM, Google
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 unknown/miscellaneous types and wood construction.
Regional seismicity
Teo Blašković founded The Watchers in 2011 and edited it until 2026, covering seismic and volcanic activity, extreme weather, space weather and near-Earth objects. Articles on this page are his archive.
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