Back to map
Vanuatu

M5.6 Earthquake near Vanuatu Islands [Sea: Vanuatu] (Vanuatu)

UTC time: 2025-08-22 12:52:56 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 Islands [Sea: Vanuatu] (Vanuatu) · 2025-08-22 — Map showing the location of the epicenter
M5.6 Earthquake near Vanuatu Islands [Sea: Vanuatu] (Vanuatu) · 2025-08-22 — Map showing the location of the epicenter

About this earthquake

A magnitude M5.6 earthquake was recorded near Vanuatu Islands [Sea: Vanuatu] (Vanuatu) on August 22, 2025 at 12:52 UTC. The earthquake originated at an intermediate depth of about 207 km. Events of this size can cause damage near the epicenter.

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

Details

ID
17835d59c215f516e5453c63ac78548b790f4a63
Magnitude
M5.6
Depth
207.4 km
UTC time
2025-08-22 12:52:56 UTC
Local time
—
Country
Vanuatu
City
Shefa
Source
ingv
Coordinates
-17.62380, 168.71800
Temperature
21.1°C

Depth profile

Depth profile Depth: 207.4 km (Intermediate) Surface Shallow Intermediate Deep 0 km 70 km 300 km 700 km 207.4 km
Intermediate
207.4 km
207.4 km — deeper than the regional average (93.6 km)
Regional average: 93.6 km
Why depth matters

Intermediate-depth quakes are felt across a wider area but usually cause less surface damage.

Depth classes per USGS

Nearby population centers

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

PlaceDistanceDirectionPopulation
Port Vila44.6 kmW35'901

GeoNames · CC BY 4.0

Volcanoes nearby

  • Nguna-Emau
    Distance: 43 km ·Stratovolcano(es) ·Elevation: 589 m ·Vanuatu
  • Kuwae
    Distance: 91 km ·Caldera ·Elevation: -2 m ·Last eruption: 1974 ·Vanuatu
  • East Epi
    Distance: 111 km ·Stratovolcano(es) ·Elevation: 833 m ·Last eruption: 2023 ·Vanuatu
  • Lopevi
    Distance: 130 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: 1'413 m ·Last eruption: 2007 ·Vanuatu
  • Traitor's Head
    Distance: 137 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: 817 m ·Last eruption: 1881 ·Vanuatu
  • Ambrym Activity reported
    Distance: 165 km ·Shield(pyroclastic) ·Elevation: 1'334 m ·Last eruption: 2024 ·Vanuatu

Radius · 100 km

Nearby infrastructure

Up to 3 nearest sites per category

Airports

  • Bauerfield International AirportVanuatu · VLI · NVVV
    43.0 kmStraight-line distance
  • Tongoa AirportVanuatu · TGH · NVST
    83.4 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 hours4
First 24 hours4
First 72 hours4
Strongest subsequent eventM5.6
M5.42025-08-22 12:52:57 UTC6.9 km38 km ENE of Port-Vila, Vanuatu M5.22025-08-22 12:52:59 UTC7.3 kmShefa M5.42025-08-22 12:52:59 UTC5.2 kmVANUATU M5.62025-08-22 12:53:02 UTC24.4 kmVanuatu Islands M4.62025-09-06 05:35:18 UTC122.5 km98 km NNW of Isangel, Vanuatu M4.82025-09-06 05:35:18 UTC128.5 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#5
Earlier events M≥470
Earlier events M≥522
Compared since2025-01-01

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

Strongest earlier events

M5.92025-05-11 11:22:21 UTC46.1 kmVANUATU M5.92025-02-10 00:09:43 UTC102.0 km65 km WNW of Port-Vila, Vanuatu M5.92025-02-10 00:09:42 UTC90.3 km53 km WNW of Port-Vila, Vanuatu M5.72025-05-11 11:22:19 UTC75.1 kmVanuatu Islands M5.62025-07-13 06:16:52 UTC83.2 kmVanuatu Islands

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.

Share