A 7.7 magnitude earthquake shook southeast of the Loyalty Islands on Wednesday morning.
The United States Geological Survey detected the quake at 5:20 a.m. with an epicenter 257.3 miles east of Vao, New Caledonia. With a magnitude of 7.7 and a depth of 6.22 miles, this earthquake can be felt far outside the epicenter and is potentially catastrophic.
During the past seven days, there have been eight other earthquakes with a magnitude of more than 3.0 within 100 miles of this area.
Not sure if you’m ready for the next big earthquake? Read the Chronicle Survival Guide for steps to get ready for it. Explore photos of San Francisco after the Great Depression of 1906 on magnitude.
This story was automatically created by an online bot built into the San Francisco Chronicle newsroom. The data that fuels this report come from the U.S. Geological Survey. Questions? Email [email protected].