The April 28, 2016, M 7.0 earthquake beneath the island of Melampa on the Vanuatu island chain of the southwest Pacific Ocean occurred as the result of thrust faulting on or near the boundary between the Australia plate and Pacific plate. The preliminary location, depth and focal mechanism of the event indicate rupture occurred on an east-dipping thrust fault consistent with the location and orientation of the subduction zone interface at the depth in this region. The earthquake is located nearly 100 km to the east of the New Hebrides Trench, the bathymetric expression of the plate boundary between the Australia and Pacific plates, where lithosphere of the Australia plate subducts into the mantle beneath the North Fiji Basin. At the location of this earthquake, the Australia plate moves east-northeast with respect to the Pacific plate at the velocity of approximately 84 mm/yr.
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