M7.6 earthquake - 144 km SSW of Leava, Wallis and Futuna

What happened

A magnitude 7.6 earthquake struck 144 km SSW of Leava, Wallis and Futuna on 23 May 1956, 20:48 UTC at a depth of 419 km.

Earthquakes of this size are classed as Major. Can cause serious damage over large areas. This was a deep earthquake; shaking at the surface is usually weak for its size.

The nearest town in our records is Labasa, about 225 km away in Northern, Fiji.