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M5.3 Earthquake near Vanuatu Islands

UTC time: 2026-05-16 15:58:05 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. How our reports are produced ↗

Magnitude
M5.3
Depth
10.0 km
Source
GFZ

Vanuatu Islands

Map

M5.3 Earthquake near Vanuatu Islands · 2026-05-16 — Map showing the location of the epicenter
M5.3 Earthquake near Vanuatu Islands · 2026-05-16 — Map showing the location of the epicenter

About this earthquake

On May 16, 2026 at 15:58 UTC, a magnitude M5.3 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 event was recorded by GFZ.

Details

ID
66576c90d4adc3d628b67a2b57283eba89c0912b
Magnitude
M5.3
Depth
10.0 km
UTC time
2026-05-16 15:58:05 UTC
Local time
—
Country
—
Source
gfz
Coordinates
-17.84000, 169.25000
Temperature
26.5°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 Vila99.8 kmW35'901

GeoNames · CC BY 4.0

Volcanoes nearby

  • Traitor's Head
    Distance: 102 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: 817 m ·Last eruption: 1881 ·Vanuatu
  • Nguna-Emau
    Distance: 104 km ·Stratovolcano(es) ·Elevation: 589 m ·Vanuatu
  • Kuwae
    Distance: 136 km ·Caldera ·Elevation: -2 m ·Last eruption: 1974 ·Vanuatu
  • East Epi
    Distance: 158 km ·Stratovolcano(es) ·Elevation: 833 m ·Last eruption: 2023 ·Vanuatu
  • Lopevi
    Distance: 177 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: 1'413 m ·Last eruption: 2007 ·Vanuatu
  • Yasur
    Distance: 189 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: 361 m ·Last eruption: 2026 ·Vanuatu

Radius · 100 km

Nearby infrastructure

Up to 3 nearest sites per category

Airports

  • Bauerfield International AirportVanuatu · VLI · NVVV
    99.7 kmStraight-line distance

Source: OurAirports · Dataset date: 2026-09-08

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 hours0
First 24 hours0
First 72 hours7
Strongest subsequent eventM6.0
M5.72026-05-19 02:29:23 UTC127.2 km51 km SSW of Port-Vila, Vanuatu M6.02026-05-19 02:29:24 UTC124.7 kmVanuatu Islands M5.92026-05-19 02:29:26 UTC130.1 kmVanuatu Islands [Sea: Vanuatu] M5.42026-05-19 02:29:30 UTC136.2 kmEvent of magnitude 5.4, near Nouméa (Monde) M4.82026-05-19 14:18:39 UTC104.9 kmPort Vila M4.82026-05-19 14:18:40 UTC109.3 kmPort Vila M4.72026-05-19 14:18:41 UTC97.4 kmPort Vila M4.92026-05-31 02:47:57 UTC148.0 kmVanuatu Islands M5.02026-06-11 21:32:47 UTC126.8 kmTafea M5.02026-06-11 21:32:47 UTC126.8 kmTafea M5.22026-06-11 21:32:48 UTC120.8 kmTamsal

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#13
Earlier events M≥486
Earlier events M≥537
Compared since2025-01-01

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

Strongest earlier events

M5.92025-05-11 11:22:21 UTC103.0 kmVANUATU M5.72025-05-11 11:22:19 UTC133.0 kmVanuatu Islands M5.62026-04-02 23:22:14 UTC133.1 kmVanuatu Islands [Sea: Vanuatu] M5.62026-04-02 23:22:13 UTC121.3 kmVanuatu Islands M5.62025-08-22 12:53:02 UTC53.8 kmVanuatu Islands

Stats (last 24h)

Global (24h)
585
Country (24h)
—
—
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