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Vanuatu

M5.0 Earthquake near Vanuatu Islands (Vanuatu)

UTC time: 2025-09-12 06:05:21 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

M5.0 Earthquake near Vanuatu Islands (Vanuatu) · 2025-09-12 — Map showing the location of the epicenter
M5.0 Earthquake near Vanuatu Islands (Vanuatu) · 2025-09-12 — Map showing the location of the epicenter

About this earthquake

A magnitude M5.0 earthquake was recorded near Vanuatu Islands (Vanuatu) on September 12, 2025 at 06:05 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 event was recorded by GFZ.

Details

ID
58c0cb2744e2fad99bf45de8c9272f916e8dc1b3
Magnitude
M5.0
Depth
10.0 km
UTC time
2025-09-12 06:05:21 UTC
Local time
—
Country
Vanuatu
City
Malampa
Source
gfz
Coordinates
-16.38000, 167.32000
Temperature
26.4°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 (92.2 km)
Regional average: 92.2 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 Vila184.1 kmSE35'901

GeoNames · CC BY 4.0

Volcanoes nearby

  • Ambrym Activity reported
    Distance: 87 km ·Shield(pyroclastic) ·Elevation: 1'334 m ·Last eruption: 2024 ·Vanuatu
  • Lopevi
    Distance: 110 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: 1'413 m ·Last eruption: 2007 ·Vanuatu
  • East Epi
    Distance: 119 km ·Stratovolcano(es) ·Elevation: 833 m ·Last eruption: 2023 ·Vanuatu
  • Ambae Activity reported
    Distance: 123 km ·Shield ·Elevation: 1'496 m ·Last eruption: 2026 ·Vanuatu
  • Kuwae
    Distance: 138 km ·Caldera ·Elevation: -2 m ·Last eruption: 1974 ·Vanuatu
  • Nguna-Emau
    Distance: 162 km ·Stratovolcano(es) ·Elevation: 589 m ·Vanuatu

Radius · 100 km

Nearby infrastructure

Up to 3 nearest sites per category

Airports

  • Norsup AirportVanuatu · NUS · NVSP
    34.5 kmStraight-line distance
  • Lamap AirportVanuatu · LPM · NVSL
    55.1 kmStraight-line distance
  • Craig Cove AirportVanuatu · CCV · NVSF
    65.7 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 eventM5.8
M4.92025-09-12 06:05:24 UTC12.7 kmVANUATU M4.92025-09-12 06:05:25 UTC17.7 km30 km SW of Lakatoro, Vanuatu M4.62025-09-26 02:41:31 UTC108.9 km76 km NE of Norsup, Vanuatu M5.02025-09-27 07:17:14 UTC134.3 kmVANUATU M5.12025-10-02 14:00:30 UTC133.5 kmSanma M5.02025-10-02 14:00:32 UTC140.4 km39 km ESE of Port-Olry, Vanuatu M5.12025-10-02 14:00:33 UTC125.8 kmVanuatu Islands M5.82025-10-07 22:36:19 UTC119.0 kmVanuatu Islands M5.42025-10-07 22:36:20 UTC112.9 kmEvent of magnitude 5.4, near of Nouméa (Monde) M5.72025-10-07 22:36:21 UTC121.3 kmVANUATU M5.82025-10-07 22:36:22 UTC109.4 kmVanuatu Islands [Sea: Vanuatu] M4.82025-10-09 20:08:46 UTC113.2 km36 km ENE of Luganville, Vanuatu

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#9
Earlier events M≥453
Earlier events M≥516
Compared since2025-01-01

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

Strongest earlier events

M5.92025-02-10 00:09:43 UTC129.3 km65 km WNW of Port-Vila, Vanuatu M5.92025-02-10 00:09:42 UTC138.0 km53 km WNW of Port-Vila, Vanuatu M5.32025-02-10 00:13:44 UTC137.0 km57 km WNW of Port-Vila, Vanuatu M5.32025-01-04 22:23:37 UTC35.5 km7 km E of Lakatoro, Vanuatu M5.22025-05-27 09:21:40 UTC130.3 kmVanuatu 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.

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