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M7.2 Earthquake near Vanuatu Islands [Sea: Vanuatu]

UTC time: 2026-03-30 08:44:12 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.

Magnitude
M7.2
Depth
88.0 km
Source
INGV

Vanuatu Islands [Sea: Vanuatu]

Map

M7.2 Earthquake near Vanuatu Islands [Sea: Vanuatu] · 2026-03-30 — Map showing the location of the epicenter
M7.2 Earthquake near Vanuatu Islands [Sea: Vanuatu] · 2026-03-30 — Map showing the location of the epicenter

About this earthquake

A magnitude M7.2 earthquake was recorded near Vanuatu Islands [Sea: Vanuatu] on March 30, 2026 at 08:44 UTC. The earthquake originated at an intermediate depth of about 88 km. Earthquakes of this magnitude are major events and can cause severe damage over a wide area.

The event was recorded by INGV.

Details

ID
198374c5e075555bc75e9dc4df9a1c2478d33a87
Magnitude
M7.2
Depth
88.0 km
UTC time
2026-03-30 08:44:12 UTC
Local time
—
Country
—
Source
ingv
Coordinates
-15.37400, 167.48100
Temperature
29.7°C

Depth profile

Depth profile Depth: 88 km (Intermediate) Surface Shallow Intermediate Deep 0 km 70 km 300 km 700 km 88 km
Intermediate
88 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 Vila277.3 kmS35'901

GeoNames · CC BY 4.0

Volcanoes nearby

  • Ambae Activity reported
    Distance: 38 km ·Shield ·Elevation: 1'496 m ·Last eruption: 2026 ·Vanuatu
  • Ambrym Activity reported
    Distance: 119 km ·Shield(pyroclastic) ·Elevation: 1'334 m ·Last eruption: 2024 ·Vanuatu
  • Gaua
    Distance: 122 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: 729 m ·Last eruption: 2022 ·Vanuatu
  • Lopevi
    Distance: 156 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: 1'413 m ·Last eruption: 2007 ·Vanuatu
  • East Epi
    Distance: 175 km ·Stratovolcano(es) ·Elevation: 833 m ·Last eruption: 2023 ·Vanuatu
  • Suretamatai
    Distance: 175 km ·Complex ·Elevation: 921 m ·Last eruption: 1966 ·Vanuatu

Radius · 100 km

Nearby infrastructure

Up to 3 nearest sites per category

Airports

  • Walaha AirportVanuatu · WLH · NVSW
    22.9 kmStraight-line distance
  • Santo Pekoa International AirportVanuatu · SON · NVSS
    31.5 kmStraight-line distance
  • Longana AirportVanuatu · LOD · NVSG
    52.6 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 500 km. They are not automatically classified as aftershocks.

First 6 hours4
First 24 hours5
First 72 hours10
Strongest subsequent eventM7.3
M7.32026-03-30 08:44:13 UTC11.0 km48 km ENE of Luganville, Vanuatu M5.52026-03-30 09:02:26 UTC61.2 kmVanuatu Islands M5.02026-03-30 09:02:29 UTC19.4 kmVANUATU M5.02026-03-30 09:02:32 UTC4.6 km42 km ENE of Luganville, Vanuatu M4.82026-03-30 19:50:27 UTC80.6 kmSanma M5.02026-03-31 10:03:38 UTC120.4 kmMalampa M4.92026-03-31 10:03:48 UTC102.7 kmVANUATU M4.92026-03-31 10:03:49 UTC106.4 km33 km SE of Lakatoro, Vanuatu M5.22026-03-31 21:56:33 UTC349.1 kmSanta Cruz Islands Region M5.12026-03-31 21:56:33 UTC348.2 kmSANTA CRUZ ISLANDS REGION M5.42026-04-02 23:21:44 UTC459.6 km M5.62026-04-02 23:22:13 UTC447.9 kmVanuatu Islands

No unambiguous area assignment

Context for this earthquake

This event has no unambiguous country assignment in the analysed catalogue. It is therefore not assigned to a regional profile.

Earthquake overview

Historical context nearby

Comparison with recorded earthquakes before this event within 500 km.

Magnitude rank#5
Earlier events M≥4373
Earlier events M≥5161
Compared since2025-01-01

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

Strongest earlier events

M7.32026-03-30 08:44:10 UTC20.3 kmVANUATU M7.32026-03-30 08:44:08 UTC12.1 km###.# km ( ###.# mi) WSW (az= 251.1) from Quartzsite, AZ M7.32026-03-30 08:44:08 UTC10.5 kmVanuatu Islands M7.32026-03-30 08:44:08 UTC7.1 kmVanuatu Islands M7.22026-03-30 08:44:09 UTC10.6 km27 km ENE of Luganville, Vanuatu

Stats (last 24h)

Global (24h)
617
Country (24h)
—
—
Current earthquakes in
Magnitude Place Local time
No recent events available.

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