Indonesia and Vanuatu sit on the Pacific Ring of Fire, the arc of seismic faults around the Pacific Ocean where most of the world’s earthquakes and volcanic eruptions occur
A 7.0-magnitude earthquake shook the Pacific archipelago of Vanuatu late January 8, 2023. A tsunami warning was issued soon after but was withdrawn later.
The quake’s epicentre was in the sea just off the northern bay of the largest island Espiritu Santo, some 400 kilometres north of the archipelago’s capital Port Vila. The island nation regularly faces natural disasters, threatening its population of 280,000.
More than 2,000 seismic events are reported each year. While most of these events are small, larger earthquakes and tremors of over five magnitudes occur regularly. Vanuatu is also facing a sea level rise and increasingly powerful cyclones that cripple its economy.
The annual cyclone season, regular droughts and floods also make this country one of the world’s most vulnerable to natural disasters.
The island nation has filed a draft UN resolution requesting an advisory from the International Court of Justice (ICJ) on the countries’ legal obligation for climate change and the consequences of causing harm.
A magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck Indonesia’s Maluku province January 10, 2023. The quake was at a depth of 97 kilometres (60.27 miles) below the earth’s surface and prompted authorities to issue a tsunami alert.
Officials have confirmed that several houses and buildings were destroyed due to the earthquake. More than 1,000 people in northern Australia, including in the city of Darwin, reported to Geoscience Australia that they felt the quake.
Indonesia too, like Vanuatu, is frequently shaken by earthquakes and sits on the Pacific Ring of Fire, the arc of seismic faults around the Pacific Ocean where most of the world’s earthquakes and volcanic eruptions occur.
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