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Vanuatu

M5.5 Earthquake near Vanuatu Islands (Vanuatu)

UTC time: 2025-09-27 08:10:47 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

M5.5 Earthquake near Vanuatu Islands (Vanuatu) · 2025-09-27 — Map showing the location of the epicenter
M5.5 Earthquake near Vanuatu Islands (Vanuatu) · 2025-09-27 — Map showing the location of the epicenter

About this earthquake

On September 27, 2025 at 08:10 UTC, a magnitude M5.5 earthquake occurred near Vanuatu Islands (Vanuatu). The hypocenter lay relatively close to the surface at around 10 km, increasing how strongly it was felt. Events of this size can cause damage near the epicenter.

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

Details

ID
4f568ff68a22da324594b196b13b1793b37e53c5
Magnitude
M5.5
Depth
10.0 km
UTC time
2025-09-27 08:10:47 UTC
Local time
—
Country
Vanuatu
City
Torba
Source
gfz
Coordinates
-13.60000, 166.51000
Temperature
27.5°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 Vila498.8 kmSE35'901

GeoNames · CC BY 4.0

Volcanoes nearby

  • Suretamatai
    Distance: 106 km ·Complex ·Elevation: 921 m ·Last eruption: 1966 ·Vanuatu
  • Motlav
    Distance: 126 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: 411 m ·Vanuatu
  • Gaua
    Distance: 132 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: 729 m ·Last eruption: 2022 ·Vanuatu
  • Ambae Activity reported
    Distance: 245 km ·Shield ·Elevation: 1'496 m ·Last eruption: 2026 ·Vanuatu
  • Ambrym Activity reported
    Distance: 342 km ·Shield(pyroclastic) ·Elevation: 1'334 m ·Last eruption: 2024 ·Vanuatu
  • Tinakula
    Distance: 366 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: 796 m ·Last eruption: 2024 ·Solomon Islands

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 hours6
Strongest subsequent eventM6.0
M5.52025-09-27 08:10:51 UTC27.7 km96 km W of Sola, Vanuatu M5.52025-09-27 08:10:53 UTC27.7 km96 km W of Sola, Vanuatu M5.22025-09-27 08:10:56 UTC17.2 kmTorba M4.72025-09-29 12:21:54 UTC86.5 kmVanuatu Islands M4.52025-09-29 12:21:57 UTC71.7 km54 km NW of Sola, Vanuatu M4.52025-09-29 12:21:57 UTC66.7 kmVANUATU M4.62025-10-14 15:42:56 UTC94.8 km163 km NW of Sola, Vanuatu M5.12025-10-25 08:12:27 UTC149.3 km57 km NE of Port-Olry, Vanuatu M4.52025-10-25 10:41:36 UTC87.6 kmVANUATU M5.42025-10-25 23:28:00 UTC124.1 kmEvent of magnitude 5.4, near of Nouméa (Monde) M5.82025-10-25 23:28:01 UTC137.3 kmSanta Cruz Islands M6.02025-10-25 23:28:04 UTC132.5 km197 km SSE of Lata, Solomon 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≥441
Earlier events M≥515
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 UTC111.1 km52 km SW of Sola, Vanuatu M5.92025-05-28 08:57:48 UTC112.2 kmVanuatu Islands M5.92025-05-28 08:57:47 UTC112.7 kmVANUATU M5.32025-06-11 08:19:41 UTC78.6 km M5.32025-04-29 13:49:19 UTC91.2 kmSanta Cruz 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.

Stats (last 24h)

Global (24h)
598
Country (24h)
Vanuatu
0
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No recent events available.

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