The United States Geological Survey recorded a Magnitude 4.8 Earthquake at a depth of 5.6 km roughly 2 km southeast of Tutuba Island, Vanuatu, slightly after 2.05 pm local time (slightly after 3.05 am GMT) on Sunday 8 June 2014. There are no reports of any damage or casualties associated with this event, though people reported feeling it in Luganville on Espirito Santo Island.
The approximate location of the 8 June 2014 Tutuba Island Earthquake. Google Maps.
Vanuatu is located on the southwestern fringe of the Pacific Plate, close to its boundary with the Australian Plate, which is being subducted along the New Hebrides Trench, to the west of the islands. The subducting Australian Plate passes under the islands of Vanuatu as it sinks into the Earth, causing Earthquakes as the plates stick together then break apart as the pressure builds up.
As the plate sinks further it is partially melted by the heat of the friction combined with that of the Earth's interior. Some of the melted material then rises through the overlying Pacific Plate, fueling the volcanoes of Vanuatu.
See also...
The Yasur Volcano near Sulphur Bay on Tanna Island has begun a new cycle of volcanic activity according to the Vanuatu Department of Meteorology and Geohazards. The volcano, which is one of the most active volcanoes of the Pacific Ring of Fire, has been relatively...
On Sunday 21 October 2012, at 10.00 am local time (11.00 pm on Saturday 20 October, GMT), the United States Geological Survey recorded a Magnitude 6.2 Earthquake 109 km west of the island of...
Mount Yasur is located on the southeast of Tanna Island in the Republic of Vanuatu, close to the volcanically named Sulphur Bay. It is one of the world's most active volcanoes, having been erupting...
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