A strong earthquake near Port Vila causes extensive damage to buildings
The epicenter of the strong earthquake on December 17, 2024 at 01:47 UTC (12:47 local time) was about 30 km west off the coast of Port Vila, the capital of the Pacific state of Vanuatu. According to the USGS, the earthquake had a magnitude of 7.3. With a depth of about 55 km, buildings in the capital were severely damaged. So far, several deaths have been reported. The earthquake also produced a tsunami with a height of 30 cm.
Location of the epicenter (Source: USGS)
The capital Port Vila was particularly affected, where many buildings were heavily damaged or collapsed, including a building that houses the US Embassy. The access road to the international port was also buried due to heavy landslides. Much of Vanuatu’s communications network has been destroyed, although the actual impact is yet to be assessed.
Unfiltered seismogram of the Vanuatu earthquake of December 17, 2024, recorded at twelve selected stations of the Austrian Seismological Service. It shows a passage 23 minutes long. The fastest earthquake wave (compression wave-P) needed almost 20 minutes to reach Austria.
A few aftershocks have already occurred, with magnitudes as high as 5. Further aftershocks can be expected in the coming weeks and months.
Active tectonic area
The earthquake occurred in the Vanuatu subduction zone area. This is part of a large-scale tectonic fault where the Pacific and Australian plates collide. This plate boundary is one of the most seismically active areas in the world. Along the 3000 km long plate boundary, the two tectonic plates are moving towards each other at a speed of 90 mm/year in the north and 60 mm/year in the south. In the last 100 years, 24 earthquakes of magnitude 7 or greater have occurred within a 250 km radius of Port Vila. The strongest event recorded to date had a magnitude of 7.9 (USGS) in December 1950.
GeoSphere Austria supports global crises
Earthquakes that occur far away are also relevant for European institutions. As part of the EU multi-hazard project ARISTOTLE, the earthquake service and the weather service, together with other institutions from more than ten countries, advise the Emergency Response Coordination Center in Brussels. The ARISTOTLE project takes a holistic and interdisciplinary approach to early warning and assesses the impact of disasters (earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, tsunamis, floods and extreme weather) that may require international relief workers.
Austrian Seismological Service – Geosphere Austria
Hohe Warte 38, A-1190 Vienna
T. +43 1 36026 2508
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