Vanuatu

Vanuatu – Earthquakes

Live map, statistics and recent events

Open history map Latest in this country
Quakes this month
7
Latest UTC: 2026-10-19 09:25:15
Strongest
M6.6
Atavtabanga
Country rank
#53
72 quakes in 2026 · out of 53 countries
Averages
M5.09 · 92 km
Avg this month: M5.29

Seismic profile

Analysis period05 Oct 2025 – 05 Oct 2026Data as of: 05 Oct 2026 · 16:00 UTC
Minimum magnitude

The last update is over two hours old. The figures reflect the data timestamp shown below.

What the data show

Vanuatu · M ≥ 3.0

After source reconciliation, the catalogue contains 85 event entries of M3.0 or above for this area and period, spread over 57 days.

Catalogue entries8505 Oct 2025 – 05 Oct 2026
Strongest recorded earthquakeM6.4Sanma ↗
Depth · median70.0 km85 events with valid depth
Last 30 days14Previous 30 days: 4

These figures describe the stored catalogue. Recording, magnitude types and geographic attribution may vary by source and period; completeness has not been established.

05 Oct 2025 – 05 Oct 2026

Earthquakes by month

M ≥ 3.0

Each bar counts events within the selected period. Hatched months are only partially included.

View data table
MonthAnalysis periodCatalogue entries
October 2025 · Partial month05 Oct 2025 – 31 Oct 20259
November 202501 Nov 2025 – 30 Nov 202510
December 202501 Dec 2025 – 31 Dec 20258
January 202601 Jan 2026 – 31 Jan 202613
February 202601 Feb 2026 – 28 Feb 20267
March 202601 Mar 2026 – 31 Mar 20262
April 202601 Apr 2026 – 30 Apr 20261
May 202601 May 2026 – 31 May 20265
June 202601 Jun 2026 – 30 Jun 20263
July 202601 Jul 2026 – 31 Jul 20269
August 202601 Aug 2026 – 31 Aug 20263
September 202601 Sep 2026 – 30 Sep 202614
October 2026 · Partial month01 Oct 2026 – 05 Oct 20261

How strong were the earthquakes?

Catalogue entries · 85

M 3.0 – < 4.00
M 4.0 – < 5.046
M 5.0 – < 6.037
M ≥ 6.02

At what depth did they occur?

85 events with valid depth

0 – < 30 km30
30 – < 70 km12
70 – < 300 km43
300 – 750 km0

0 events without valid depth are excluded here.

Depth · median

Half of the available values lie on either side of the median; ties are possible.

Current period in context

Last 30 days14
Previous 30 days4
Median of the eleven previous 30-day periods7

Same magnitude threshold, separate periods. Differences may also reflect changes in recording. No hazard level or forecast is inferred.

Where were earthquakes recorded?

Area selection: stored country code. Events without country attribution and events outside this country are excluded, even if felt there.

The interactive map complements the event links on this page.

Marker size and colour indicate magnitude.

Strongest recorded earthquake

05 Oct 2025 – 05 Oct 2026 · M ≥ 3.0

Data and methodology

Analysis period: 05 Oct 2025 16:00 – 05 Oct 2026 16:00 UTC

Data and methodology

Reports are first reconciled using existing event associations. Additional reports from different sources are consolidated only when every pair is within 5 seconds, 10 km and 0.5 magnitude units, source groups do not overlap and exactly one group matches. Ambiguous cases remain separate. The preferred report determines magnitude, time and area; period and magnitude filters are applied afterwards. The start is included and the end excluded (UTC).

13 additional source reports were consolidated during source reconciliation.

Area selection: stored country code. Events without country attribution and events outside this country are excluded, even if felt there.

These figures describe the stored catalogue. Recording, magnitude types and geographic attribution may vary by source and period; completeness has not been established.

Source reports used

The preferred report of each group is counted. Source priority follows the earthquake list. Different magnitude types and recording gaps limit comparability.

  • USGS43
  • GFZ19
  • EMSC19
  • RESIF2
  • SCEDC1
  • INGV1

The profile is recalculated hourly from the earthquake catalogue. Later source revisions may also change historical values.

Data as of: 05 Oct 2026 · 16:32 UTC

Overview – Vanuatu

The latest recorded earthquake in Vanuatu was on 2026-10-19 at 09:25 UTC in Torba with magnitude M4.9.

In the current month, 7 earthquakes were recorded in Vanuatu with an average magnitude of 5.29.

Most earthquakes in 2026 occurred in Sanma (18), followed by Tafea (17).

The strongest recorded earthquake in Vanuatu reached magnitude M6.6 on 2026-10-08.

In 2026, 100% of events were M≥3 and 46% were M≥5.

All-time events
180
Strongest
M6.6
Latest (UTC)
2026-10-19 09:25:15 UTC

Map – Vanuatu

Markers show the latest 30 earthquakes in Vanuatu.

Strongest – Vanuatu

Open event
M6.6 Atavtabanga
UTC: 2026-10-08 09:00:08 UTC · Depth: 10 km

Recent earthquakes – Vanuatu

Showing the latest 7 events from the QuakeMap24 database (UTC).

Open full list
M4.9 Depth: 10 km
Open event ↗

Torba

Time (UTC) 2026-10-19 09:25:15 UTC
Coordinates -12.953, 167.046
Source usgs

115 km NNW of Sola, Vanuatu

M4.8 Depth: 10 km
Open event ↗

Penama

Time (UTC) 2026-10-17 08:59:52 UTC
Coordinates -15.512, 168.252
Source usgs

110 km NE of Norsup, Vanuatu

M4.5 Depth: 145 km
Open event ↗

Torba

Time (UTC) 2026-10-17 07:40:03 UTC
Coordinates -13.346, 167.047
Source usgs

80 km NW of Sola, Vanuatu

M4.7 Depth: 11 km
Open event ↗

Penama

Time (UTC) 2026-10-11 05:07:58 UTC
Coordinates -14.734, 168.070
Source usgs

110 km SSE of Sola, Vanuatu

M5.4 Depth: 10 km
Open event ↗

Penama · Labultamata

Time (UTC) 2026-10-09 13:51:43 UTC
Coordinates -15.536, 168.145
Source usgs

99 km NE of Norsup, Vanuatu

M6.6 Depth: 10 km
Open event ↗

Penama · Atavtabanga

Time (UTC) 2026-10-08 09:00:08 UTC
Coordinates -15.484, 168.177
Source usgs

105 km NE of Norsup, Vanuatu

M4.6 Depth: 35 km
Open event ↗

Sanma

Time (UTC) 2026-10-05 11:47:08 UTC
Coordinates -15.716, 167.148
Source usgs

21 km S of Luganville, Vanuatu

Top regions – Vanuatu

Regions are derived from the most specific available location fields (e.g. state, then city).

  1. Sanma
    Events: 45
  2. Tafea
    Events: 38
  3. Torba
    Events: 37
  4. Shefa
    Events: 24
  5. Penama
    Events: 22

FAQ – Vanuatu

What is the latest recorded earthquake in Vanuatu?
The newest entry in our database for Vanuatu is dated 2026-10-19 09:25:15 UTC.
What was the strongest recorded earthquake in Vanuatu?
The strongest recorded event in our database for Vanuatu reached magnitude M6.6.
How many earthquakes are recorded for Vanuatu?
QuakeMap24 currently contains 180 recorded earthquakes for Vanuatu (all-time, based on our database).
What are typical average magnitude and depth in Vanuatu?
Across all recorded events in Vanuatu, the average magnitude is M5.09 and the average depth is 92 km.
Why do some events show city/state/village and others only a place name?
Locality labels depend on the available source data. Some providers deliver precise administrative levels; others provide a broader place description.
How can I explore more than the last 30 events?
Use the country history page for Vanuatu to explore earthquake activity with filters.
How often is this page updated?
The content is generated from the QuakeMap24 database and refreshes as new events are ingested. Timestamps are shown in UTC for consistency.

Regions · Vanuatu

Significant historical earthquakes – Vanuatu

with casualties or damage

  1. 2024 Efate, Port Vila M7.3 14 deaths 100 M USD tsunami
  2. 1999 Pentecost M7.5 10 deaths tsunami
  3. 1971 Espiritu Santo, Port Vila M7.1 1 deaths
  4. 1913 Vanuatu Islands M8.1
  5. 1878 Vanuatu Islands M8.0 tsunami
  6. 1910 Espiritu Santo M7.9
  7. 1910 Vanuatu Islands M7.9
  8. 1903 Vanuatu Islands M7.9

Country history – Vanuatu

Explore earthquake history with filters (magnitude, depth, date range).

Open history map