November 10, 1910 Earthquake: Espiritu Santo, Vanuatu Islands
A magnitude 7.2 earthquake struck Espiritu Santo, Vanuatu Islands on November 10, 1910 at 12:19:54 UTC, 90 km below the surface. It caused a tsunami.
Map
Where it struck, with the other significant earthquakes within 200 km. Circles are sized and colored by magnitude; select one for its page.
The earthquake
- Date
- November 10, 1910
- Time
- 12:19:54 UTC
- Place
- Espiritu Santo, Vanuatu Islands
- Magnitude
- 7.2 (Ms)
- Focal depth
- 90 km (56 mi)
- Tsunami
- Yes: the tsunami it caused
- Epicenter
- 14.000° S, 166.500° E
- Country
- Vanuatu
The toll
- Damage
- Moderate (about $1 to $5 million)
Where the literature gives no number, NCEI records a description on a scale of 1 to 4, printed here in its words. Damage is in millions of US dollars of the year of the event, not adjusted for inflation.
What the record says
NCEI’s account, from the sources it cites.
The steamer Makambo, which arrived this afternoon from the New Hebrides, brings news of a severe earthquake at the Island of Santo. The shock occurred on November 13 [probably Nov. 10], and caused considerable damage. Kerr's store was wrecked, also Thomas' building at Hog Harbor. The natives were greatly alarmed, fearing the worst was about to happen, but as far as could be ascertained there was no loss of life. Captain Weatheral, of the Makambo, states that traces of the earthquake were visible all over the island. Many landslides occurred, and mountain peaks had disappeared, the whole formation being altered. At Tanmate, on the west coast, a tidal wave occurred, lifting the beach fully 3 ft. Waves swept inland for some distance, the locality was strewn with dead fish. The earthquake travelled south as far as Mallicollo Island, but Santo appeared to have been the centre of the disturbance. No damage was reported at the neighboring islands. (reference #7577)
Two earthquakes occurred in the Vanuatu region in November 1910. Although neither occurred on November 13 as described in the newspaper article above, the article is probably describing the earthquake on November 10.
November 9, 1910, 06:02:00 UTC, 16 S, 166 E, depth 70 km, magnitude 7.9 (reference #88).
November 9, 1910, 06:02.0 UTC, 16 S, 166 E, depth 70 km, magnitude 7.75 (reference #130).
November 10, 1910, 12:19:54 UTC, 14 S, 166.5 E, depth 90 km, magnitude 7.2 (reference #88).
November 10, 1910, 12:19.9 UTC, 14 S, 166.5 E, depth 90 km, magnitude 7.2 (reference #130).
Other significant earthquakes nearby
Within 200 km, the deadliest first.
- October 27, 1971, Espiritu Santo, Port Vila, Vanuatu Islands
- December 21, 1985, Vanuatu Islands
- August 11, 1970, Solomon Islands
- November 28, 1985, Vanuatu Islands
- May 27, 2010, Vanuatu Islands
- December 28, 1973, Espiritu Santo, Luganille, Vanuatu Islands
- April 3, 2016, Vanuatu Islands
- November 4, 1953, Solomon Islands
- October 7, 2009, Vanuatu Islands
- December 29, 1973, Luganville, Lamap, Vanuatu Islands
- August 1892, Espiritu Santo, Vanuatu Islands
- July 6, 1987, Vanuatu Islands
- November 27, 2002, Mere Lava Island, Vanuatu Islands
- April 21, 1997, Santa Cruz Islands, Vanuatu, Solomon Islands
- May 12, 1980, Vanuatu Islands
More
Significant earthquakes of 1910The 1900sEvery quake the USGS located in 1910Recent earthquakes near hereThis day in weather history
Sources
Significant earthquakes from NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information, Global Historical Hazard Database, cited as NCEI/WDS, doi:10.7289/V5PN93H7. Public domain. Read 2026-09-24. NCEI earthquake 2914.