M7.3

2024 Vanuatu / Pacific Earthquake

Port Vila, Vanuatu — December 17, 2024

The 2024 Vanuatu earthquake struck offshore Port Vila, the capital city, causing significant damage to buildings and infrastructure. Multiple buildings collapsed in the city center. The earthquake triggered a tsunami advisory but no destructive waves were observed.

Earthquake Facts

Magnitude

M7.3

Date

Dec 17, 2024

Depth

57 km

Deaths

14

Latitude

-17.675°

Longitude

168.050°

Tsunami

No

Region

Vanuatu / Pacific

Tectonic Cause

Thrust fault along the New Hebrides Trench subduction zone where the Australian Plate subducts beneath the Pacific Plate at one of the world's fastest convergence rates.

Aftermath in Pictures

Photos from Wikimedia Commons — open licenses (CC / Public Domain)

Images sourced from Wikimedia Commons under open licenses. Attribution required where specified. Click any image to enlarge.

Sources & Further Reading

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