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M5.8 Earthquake near Vanuatu Islands

UTC time: 2026-03-21 03:20:58 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
M5.8
Depth
10.0 km
Source
GFZ

Vanuatu Islands

Map

M5.8 Earthquake near Vanuatu Islands · 2026-03-21 — Map showing the location of the epicenter
M5.8 Earthquake near Vanuatu Islands · 2026-03-21 — Map showing the location of the epicenter

About this earthquake

On March 21, 2026 at 03:20 UTC, a magnitude M5.8 earthquake occurred near Vanuatu Islands. 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
577f4d7f5a74278923508de02cf4b939b81155e3
Magnitude
M5.8
Depth
10.0 km
UTC time
2026-03-21 03:20:58 UTC
Local time
—
Country
—
Source
gfz
Coordinates
-16.12000, 167.09000
Temperature
28.5°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
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 Vila221.9 kmSE35'901

GeoNames · CC BY 4.0

Volcanoes nearby

  • Ambrym Activity reported
    Distance: 111 km ·Shield(pyroclastic) ·Elevation: 1'334 m ·Last eruption: 2024 ·Vanuatu
  • Ambae Activity reported
    Distance: 114 km ·Shield ·Elevation: 1'496 m ·Last eruption: 2026 ·Vanuatu
  • Lopevi
    Distance: 141 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: 1'413 m ·Last eruption: 2007 ·Vanuatu
  • East Epi
    Distance: 152 km ·Stratovolcano(es) ·Elevation: 833 m ·Last eruption: 2023 ·Vanuatu
  • Kuwae
    Distance: 172 km ·Caldera ·Elevation: -2 m ·Last eruption: 1974 ·Vanuatu
  • Nguna-Emau
    Distance: 200 km ·Stratovolcano(es) ·Elevation: 589 m ·Vanuatu

Radius · 100 km

Nearby infrastructure

Up to 3 nearest sites per category

Airports

  • Norsup AirportVanuatu · NUS · NVSP
    33.5 kmStraight-line distance
  • Santo Pekoa International AirportVanuatu · SON · NVSS
    69.8 kmStraight-line distance
  • Lamap AirportVanuatu · LPM · NVSL
    87.5 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 hours2
First 24 hours2
First 72 hours2
Strongest subsequent eventM7.3
M5.72026-03-21 03:21:00 UTC22.3 km51 km W of Norsup, Vanuatu M4.52026-03-21 04:15:27 UTC25.7 kmVANUATU M6.52026-03-30 08:43:51 UTC102.3 km M7.02026-03-30 08:44:07 UTC118.1 kmVanuatu Islands M7.32026-03-30 08:44:08 UTC97.2 km###.# km ( ###.# mi) WSW (az= 251.1) from Quartzsite, AZ M7.32026-03-30 08:44:08 UTC102.3 kmVanuatu Islands M7.32026-03-30 08:44:08 UTC99.3 kmVanuatu Islands M7.22026-03-30 08:44:09 UTC87.3 km27 km ENE of Luganville, Vanuatu M7.32026-03-30 08:44:10 UTC95.7 kmVANUATU M6.92026-03-30 08:44:11 UTC87.1 kmEvent of magnitude 6.9, near of Nouméa (Monde) M7.22026-03-30 08:44:12 UTC92.9 kmVanuatu Islands [Sea: Vanuatu] M7.32026-03-30 08:44:13 UTC102.9 km48 km ENE of Luganville, Vanuatu

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 150 km.

Magnitude rank#3
Earlier events M≥461
Earlier events M≥524
Compared since2025-01-01

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

Strongest earlier events

M6.42026-02-14 02:27:37 UTC146.1 kmSanma M6.42026-02-14 02:27:37 UTC146.2 kmSanma M5.82025-10-07 22:36:22 UTC112.9 kmVanuatu Islands [Sea: Vanuatu] M5.82025-10-07 22:36:19 UTC119.9 kmVanuatu Islands M5.72025-10-07 22:36:21 UTC125.8 kmVANUATU

Stats (last 24h)

Global (24h)
588
Country (24h)
—
—
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