\nThe February 25, 2000, M 7.1 earthquake in the Vanuatu region occurred as the result of strike-slip faulting at shallow depths within the interior of the Pacific plate in the North Fiji Basin, several hundred kilometers north of the regional plate boundary between the Pacific and Australia plates (the New Hebrides Trench). Focal mechanism solutions for the earthquake indicate that rupture occurred on either a right-lateral, northwest-southeast-striking fault, or along a left-lateral, northeast-southwest-striking fault. At the location of the earthquake, the Australia plate moves to the east-northeast with respect to the Pacific plate at a velocity of about 80 mm/yr. The edges of the Pacific and Australia plates in the Vanuatu-Tonga-Kermadec region are often subdivided into a collection of microplates that together accommodate the relative motions between the broader Australia and Pacific plates. These include the New Hebrides and Conway Reef microplates in the region of the February 25th earthquake, close to the Central Spreading Ridge (oriented north-south) separating these two tectonic blocks. \n
\n\nThe North Fiji Basin region often experiences earthquake activity, with nine events of M 6.5 or greater (M 6.5+) within 400 km of the February 25th earthquake over the preceding 40 years. These include a M 7.6 earthquake in March 1990 and a M 7.0 earthquake in July 1981, both to the south of the February 25th earthquake and likely on or close to the Pacific-Australia plate boundary. Neither is known to have caused fatalities or damage. \n
\n\nHayes et al. (2016) Tectonic summaries of magnitude 7 and greater earthquakes from 2000 to 2015, USGS Open-File Report 2016-1192. (5.2 MB PDF)\n
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