M5.3 Earthquake southeast of the Loyalty Islands — December 19, 2023
2023-12-19 02:42:29 UTC (2023-12-19) · approx. 1:42 PM UTC+11 local
On December 19, 2023 at 02:42 UTC, a magnitude 5.3 shallow crustal earthquake struck southeast of the Loyalty Islands, at a depth of 10.0 km and coordinates -22.7837°, 172.3996°. This earthquake was detected by 63 seismic stations with excellent location accuracy and was assigned a USGS significance rating of 432, placing it among routine seismic activity.
Physical scale: An earthquake of magnitude 5.3 releases seismic energy equivalent to roughly 1 kilotons of TNT. Empirical fault-scaling laws (Wells & Coppersmith, 1994) estimate the subsurface rupture length at approximately 2.7 km — a useful intuition for the size of the slip patch on the fault.
Earthquake Details
172.3996°E
Technical Information
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Common Questions
How strong was the magnitude 5.3 earthquake southeast of the Loyalty Islands?
The magnitude 5.3 earthquake that struck southeast of the Loyalty Islands on December 19, 2023 at 02:42 UTC had a depth of 10.0 km. For context, this was a moderate earthquake that could be widely felt.
Where did the earthquake occur?
The earthquake epicenter was located at -22.7837°, 172.3996°, which is southeast of the Loyalty Islands.
Were there aftershocks?
Aftershock activity is monitored continuously by the USGS. Aftershock sequences from magnitude 5.3 earthquakes can continue for days to weeks and gradually diminish over time.
Actions
Authoritative source: USGS event page (event ID: us7000ljz1). All scientific values on this page are sourced verbatim from the USGS feed.
Cite this page: EarthquakeTracker.org. (2023, December 19, 2023). M5.3 Earthquake southeast of the Loyalty Islands — December 19, 2023. Retrieved February 27, 2024 from https://www.earthquaketracker.org/earthquakes/event/us7000ljz1/