The United States Geological Survey recorded a Magnitude 7.3 Earthquake at a depth of 57.1 km, roughly 30 km to the west of of Efate Island, Vanuatu, slightly after 12.45 pm local time (slightly after 1.45 am) on Tuesday 17 December 2024. The initial event has been followed by a number of large aftershocks. At least fourteen people are known to have died as a result of the Earthquake, with more than 200 more injured. Many buildings, including hospitals on the island have been damaged, as have several important bridges, and seeveral major roads are reported to have been blocked by landslides.
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, fuelling the volcanoes of Vanuatu.
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