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Vanuatu

M5.6 Earthquake near VANUATU (Vanuatu)

UTC time: 2025-12-07 12:16:15 UTC Local time: —
Earthquake newsQuakeMap24
Archive record · original publication time was not recorded

Automatically generated from measurement data by QuakeMap24. Values may change after further analysis.

Map

M5.6 Earthquake near VANUATU (Vanuatu) · 2025-12-07 — Map showing the location of the epicenter
M5.6 Earthquake near VANUATU (Vanuatu) · 2025-12-07 — Map showing the location of the epicenter

About this earthquake

On December 7, 2025 at 12:16 UTC, a magnitude M5.6 earthquake occurred near VANUATU (Vanuatu). With a focal depth of about 10 km, this was a shallow earthquake, whose shaking is usually felt more strongly at the surface. Events of this size can cause damage near the epicenter.

The data is provided by EMSC and cross-checked across seismological networks.

Details

ID
05749d078040449813fa0e1f991de44d92890153
Magnitude
M5.6
Depth
10.0 km
UTC time
2025-12-07 12:16:15 UTC
Local time
—
Country
Vanuatu
City
Sanma
Source
emsc
Coordinates
-14.77850, 166.60720
Temperature
30.5°C

Depth profile

Depth profile Depth: 10 km (Shallow) Surface Shallow Intermediate Deep 0 km 70 km 300 km 700 km 10 km
Shallow
10 km
10 km — shallower than the regional average (93.6 km)
Regional average: 93.6 km
Why depth matters

Shallow quakes release energy near the surface — shaking is felt more strongly and damage potential is higher.

Depth classes per USGS

Nearby population centers

Distances are straight-line distances from the epicenter. Population data: GeoNames.

PlaceDistanceDirectionPopulation
Port Vila376.0 kmSE35'901

GeoNames · CC BY 4.0

Volcanoes nearby

  • Gaua
    Distance: 112 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: 729 m ·Last eruption: 2022 ·Vanuatu
  • Suretamatai
    Distance: 143 km ·Complex ·Elevation: 921 m ·Last eruption: 1966 ·Vanuatu
  • Ambae Activity reported
    Distance: 148 km ·Shield ·Elevation: 1'496 m ·Last eruption: 2026 ·Vanuatu
  • Motlav
    Distance: 168 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: 411 m ·Vanuatu
  • Ambrym Activity reported
    Distance: 230 km ·Shield(pyroclastic) ·Elevation: 1'334 m ·Last eruption: 2024 ·Vanuatu
  • Lopevi
    Distance: 268 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: 1'413 m ·Last eruption: 2007 ·Vanuatu

Radius · 100 km

Nearby infrastructure

Up to 3 nearest sites per category

Airports

  • North West Santo AirportVanuatu · OLJ · NVSZ
    12.6 kmStraight-line distance

Source: OurAirports · Dataset date: 2026-10-05

This selection shows geographic proximity, not a hazard zone or confirmed impacts. Distances use recorded site coordinates. Sources & data dates

Subsequent earthquakes nearby

Events recorded after this earthquake within 150 km. They are not automatically classified as aftershocks.

First 6 hours3
First 24 hours3
First 72 hours3
Strongest subsequent eventM5.6
M5.22025-12-07 12:16:18 UTC19.6 kmEvent of magnitude 5.2, near of Nouméa (Monde) M4.82025-12-07 13:25:10 UTC8.1 kmVanuatu Islands M4.92025-12-07 13:25:14 UTC25.1 km39 km W of Port-Olry, Vanuatu M4.52025-12-23 20:41:56 UTC60.6 km38 km NNE of Port-Olry, Vanuatu M5.62025-12-23 20:41:59 UTC60.6 kmVANUATU M5.62025-12-23 20:42:00 UTC60.6 km38 km NNE of Port-Olry, Vanuatu M5.22025-12-23 20:42:00 UTC63.8 kmVanuatu Islands

Vanuatu

Context for this earthquake

05 Oct 2025 – 05 Oct 2026 · M ≥ 3.0 · 85 Catalogue entries

Sufficiently reliable matching data are not currently available for a direct comparison. The area profile shows the available records and their limitations.

Open seismic profile

Historical context nearby

Comparison with recorded earthquakes before this event within 150 km.

Magnitude rank#4
Earlier events M≥455
Earlier events M≥524
Compared since2025-01-04

The QuakeMap24 comparison dataset begins on 2024-03-23. Earlier earthquakes may not be included.

Strongest earlier events

M5.92025-05-28 08:57:48 UTC91.8 km52 km SW of Sola, Vanuatu M5.92025-05-28 08:57:48 UTC99.6 kmVanuatu Islands M5.92025-05-28 08:57:47 UTC101.0 kmVANUATU M5.62025-12-07 12:16:14 UTC19.5 kmVanuatu Islands M5.52025-09-27 08:10:53 UTC109.4 km96 km W of Sola, Vanuatu

Historic earthquake map · Vanuatu

Open history map
Explore recent and long-term earthquake activity in this country. Use filters to narrow down by magnitude, depth, and date range.

Country statistics · Vanuatu

Country overview
View earthquake KPIs, strongest and latest events, and averages for this country.

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