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Vanuatu

M5.2 Earthquake near Vanuatu Islands (Vanuatu)

UTC time: 2025-08-17 05:06:27 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 Vanuatu Islands (Vanuatu) · 2025-08-17 — Map showing the location of the epicenter
M5.2 Earthquake near Vanuatu Islands (Vanuatu) · 2025-08-17 — Map showing the location of the epicenter

About this earthquake

On August 17, 2025 at 05:06 UTC, a magnitude M5.2 earthquake occurred near Vanuatu Islands (Vanuatu). At around 145 km, the focal depth places this among intermediate-depth events. Events of this size can cause damage near the epicenter.

The event was recorded by GFZ.

Details

ID
3b9ab038dd4a3e2b8349c365c6ff4c1cd0fb193c
Magnitude
M5.2
Depth
145.0 km
UTC time
2025-08-17 05:06:27 UTC
Local time
—
Country
Vanuatu
City
Sanma
Source
gfz
Coordinates
-14.93000, 167.34000
Temperature
26.9°C

Depth profile

Depth profile Depth: 145 km (Intermediate) Surface Shallow Intermediate Deep 0 km 70 km 300 km 700 km 145 km
Intermediate
145 km
145 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 Vila328.9 kmS35'901

GeoNames · CC BY 4.0

Volcanoes nearby

  • Ambae Activity reported
    Distance: 74 km ·Shield ·Elevation: 1'496 m ·Last eruption: 2026 ·Vanuatu
  • Gaua
    Distance: 75 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: 729 m ·Last eruption: 2022 ·Vanuatu
  • Suretamatai
    Distance: 126 km ·Complex ·Elevation: 921 m ·Last eruption: 1966 ·Vanuatu
  • Motlav
    Distance: 145 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: 411 m ·Vanuatu
  • Ambrym Activity reported
    Distance: 169 km ·Shield(pyroclastic) ·Elevation: 1'334 m ·Last eruption: 2024 ·Vanuatu
  • Lopevi
    Distance: 206 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: 1'413 m ·Last eruption: 2007 ·Vanuatu

Radius · 100 km

Nearby infrastructure

Up to 3 nearest sites per category

Airports

  • Santo Pekoa International AirportVanuatu · SON · NVSS
    65.2 kmStraight-line distance
  • Walaha AirportVanuatu · WLH · NVSW
    65.5 kmStraight-line distance
  • Longana AirportVanuatu · LOD · NVSG
    79.3 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

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#7
Earlier events M≥444
Earlier events M≥513
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 UTC74.0 km52 km SW of Sola, Vanuatu M5.92025-05-28 08:57:48 UTC79.0 kmVanuatu Islands M5.92025-05-28 08:57:47 UTC79.7 kmVANUATU M5.32025-06-11 08:19:41 UTC99.7 km M5.32025-03-22 12:51:43 UTC101.9 km64 km WSW 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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