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Vanuatu · Tafea

M5.2 Earthquake near Tafea (Vanuatu)

UTC time: 2026-08-20 00:20:16 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

M5.2 Earthquake near Tafea (Vanuatu) · 2026-08-20 — Map showing the location of the epicenter
M5.2 Earthquake near Tafea (Vanuatu) · 2026-08-20 — Map showing the location of the epicenter

About this earthquake

A magnitude M5.2 earthquake was recorded near Tafea (Vanuatu) on August 20, 2026 at 00:20 UTC. With a focal depth of about 10 km, this was a shallow earthquake, whose shaking is usually felt more strongly at the surface. Earthquakes of this magnitude can damage poorly built structures.

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

Details

ID
302b1f1a72cd1c6587274096c91fb13ae34c378c
Magnitude
M5.2
Depth
10.0 km
UTC time
2026-08-20 00:20:16 UTC
Local time
—
Country
Vanuatu
State
Tafea
City
Tafea
Source
gfz
Coordinates
-20.01000, 169.49000
Temperature
21.8°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

Tectonic context

Located on the New Hebrides Plate.
Near the boundary New Hebrides ↔ Australia · about 124 km away

Nearby population centers

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

PlaceDistanceDirectionPopulation
Port Vila281.5 kmNW35'901

GeoNames · CC BY 4.0

Volcanoes nearby

  • Yasur
    Distance: 53 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: 361 m ·Last eruption: 2026 ·Vanuatu
  • Gemini-Oscostar
    Distance: 125 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: -33 m ·Last eruption: 1996 ·Vanuatu
  • Traitor's Head
    Distance: 142 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: 817 m ·Last eruption: 1881 ·Vanuatu
  • Nguna-Emau
    Distance: 309 km ·Stratovolcano(es) ·Elevation: 589 m ·Vanuatu
  • Matthew Island
    Distance: 320 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: 177 m ·Last eruption: 1956 ·France - claimed by Vanuatu
  • Kuwae
    Distance: 368 km ·Caldera ·Elevation: -2 m ·Last eruption: 1974 ·Vanuatu

Radius · 100 km

Nearby infrastructure

Up to 3 nearest sites per category

Airports

  • Whitegrass AirportVanuatu · TAH · NVVW
    67.7 kmStraight-line distance
  • Futuna AirportVanuatu · FTA · NVVF
    95.1 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 hours1
First 24 hours1
First 72 hours1
Strongest subsequent eventM5.8
M5.02026-08-20 00:20:20 UTC95.5 kmEvent of magnitude 5.0, near Nouméa (Monde) M5.02026-09-01 18:37:29 UTC62.7 km118 km SSE of Isangel, Vanuatu M5.82026-09-02 21:22:05 UTC43.7 kmVanuatu Islands M4.82026-09-03 13:47:10 UTC23.8 km65 km S of Isangel, Vanuatu M5.62026-09-05 17:02:12 UTC73.4 kmTafea M4.72026-09-05 21:06:01 UTC65.1 kmTafea M4.62026-09-05 23:46:26 UTC126.5 kmIpota M5.12026-09-08 00:52:02 UTC69.6 kmTafea M5.22026-09-09 17:01:52 UTC52.2 kmTafea M4.82026-09-09 19:15:11 UTC67.1 kmTafea M4.72026-09-09 20:21:13 UTC109.3 kmVANUATU M4.92026-09-11 02:28:13 UTC121.0 kmTafea

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#22
Earlier events M≥4100
Earlier events M≥555
Compared since2025-01-01

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

Strongest earlier events

M6.12026-07-08 09:50:28 UTC94.9 kmVanuatu [Sea] M6.12026-03-20 02:30:33 UTC142.7 km###.# km ( ###.# mi) WSW (az= 247.2) from Fortuna Foothills, AZ M6.12026-03-20 02:30:33 UTC134.3 kmVanuatu Islands M6.12026-03-20 02:30:32 UTC147.0 km105 km WNW of Isangel, Vanuatu M5.72025-03-28 01:20:04 UTC118.7 km66 km NW of Isangel, 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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