Every country

Vanuatu earthquakes

30 earthquakes of magnitude 2.5 or more were located in Vanuatu in the past 30 days: 3 in the past week and 0 in the past 24 hours. The largest: M5.6 89 km ESE of Isangel, Vanuatu, Sep 6, 4:02 AM GMT+11.

From the USGS, checked Wed, Sep 23, 2026, 1:58 AM GMT+11. Times are local to each quake. Outside the United States the catalog is complete from about magnitude 4.5; smaller quakes are listed where a network reported them.

Map

Where every quake below was located in Vanuatu. Select one for its page.

Open the live map with earthquakes

Past 30 days

Magnitude 2.5 and up, newest first.

Largest on record in Vanuatu

The 25 largest in the USGS catalog since 1900, of magnitude 5 and up. Older magnitudes are estimates from historical accounts and early instruments.

Mag.DateWhereDepth
7.9Dec 3, 195099 km SW of Port-Vila, Vanuatu30 km
7.8Jun 16, 191028 km ESE of Isangel, Vanuatu100 km
7.6Oct 14, 191363 km NW of Isangel, Vanuatu125 km
7.6Aug 12, 196531 km S of Luganville, Vanuatu48 km
7.5Nov 27, 199992 km ESE of Lakatoro, Vanuatu33 km
7.4Nov 9, 191047 km WSW of Norsup, Vanuatu20 km
7.4Aug 13, 196543 km W of Norsup, Vanuatu30 km
7.4Oct 12, 199247 km NW of Isangel, Vanuatu129 km
7.3Jul 24, 196163 km S of Port-Vila, Vanuatu25 km
7.3Aug 10, 201033 km NW of Port-Vila, Vanuatu25 km
7.3Dec 26, 2010141 km W of Isangel, Vanuatu16 km
7.3Dec 17, 202424 km WNW of Port-Vila, Vanuatu54 km
7.2Nov 24, 194447 km NNW of Isangel, Vanuatu165 km
7.2Jul 2, 195362 km NE of Isangel, Vanuatu236 km
7.2Jul 13, 199458 km S of Lakatoro, Vanuatu33 km
7.2Jan 3, 200250 km WNW of Port-Vila, Vanuatu21 km
7.2Aug 21, 201171 km SSW of Port-Vila, Vanuatu32 km
7.2Mar 22, 1925113 km SSE of Port-Vila, Vanuatu35 km
7.1Oct 12, 1907157 km E of Lakatoro, Vanuatu15 km
7.1Mar 6, 199069 km SSW of Port-Vila, Vanuatu21 km
7.1Aug 13, 199019 km NW of Isangel, Vanuatu140 km
7.1Aug 21, 201164 km S of Port-Vila, Vanuatu28 km
7.1Feb 3, 2012125 km W of Port-Vila, Vanuatu23 km
7.1Jan 24, 192784 km SW of Port-Vila, Vanuatu30 km
7.0May 13, 1903Vanuatu

By year

Every year the USGS catalog covers.

What this means

Magnitude measures the energy a quake releases: each step up is about 32 times more energy, so an M6 releases about a thousand times the energy of an M4. Intensity measures the shaking at one place, which depends on the distance, the depth and the ground. One quake has one magnitude and many intensities.

The Modified Mercalli intensity scale
IntensityShakingWhat people notice
INot feltRecorded by instruments only.
II to IIIWeakFelt by a few people at rest, mostly on upper floors; hanging objects may swing.
IVLightFelt indoors by many. Dishes, windows and doors rattle; like a heavy truck passing.
VModerateFelt by nearly everyone; sleepers wake. Some dishes break and unstable objects tip over.
VIStrongFelt by all; heavy furniture moves, plaster cracks. Damage is slight.
VIIVery strongDamage slight to moderate in ordinary buildings, considerable in poorly built ones.
VIIISevereConsiderable damage in ordinary buildings, with partial collapse; chimneys and walls fall.
IX and upViolent to extremeHeavy damage even in well-designed buildings; many shifted off foundations.

Did I just feel an earthquake?

A quake appears in these lists within minutes: a few for the US, up to twenty for a quake abroad. Search your town above, or open your state. If it was a quake, tell the USGS through its Did You Feel It? form. If shaking starts: drop, cover and hold on; stay indoors until it stops; near the coast, move to high ground after strong or long shaking without waiting for a warning.

Sources

Earthquakes, magnitudes, depths, shaking estimates and felt reports from the U.S. Geological Survey Earthquake Hazards Program, read from its live feeds and its catalog back to 1900. Tsunami messages from NOAA’s tsunami warning centers.