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Vanuatu

M5.2 Earthquake near Vanuatu Islands (Vanuatu)

UTC time: 2025-05-27 09:21:40 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) · 2025-05-27 — Map showing the location of the epicenter
M5.2 Earthquake near Vanuatu Islands (Vanuatu) · 2025-05-27 — Map showing the location of the epicenter

About this earthquake

On May 27, 2025 at 09:21 UTC, a magnitude M5.2 earthquake occurred near Vanuatu Islands (Vanuatu). At around 110 km, the focal depth places this among intermediate-depth events. Earthquakes of this magnitude can damage poorly built structures.

The event was recorded by GFZ.

Details

ID
78d6d279cfd00b1e3a02aa713dd7365c1727f0de
Magnitude
M5.2
Depth
110.0 km
UTC time
2025-05-27 09:21:40 UTC
Local time
—
Country
Vanuatu
City
Penama
Source
gfz
Coordinates
-15.27000, 167.71000
Temperature
27.0°C

Depth profile

Depth profile Depth: 110 km (Intermediate) Surface Shallow Intermediate Deep 0 km 70 km 300 km 700 km 110 km
Intermediate
110 km
110 km — close to 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 Vila281.7 kmS35'901

GeoNames · CC BY 4.0

Volcanoes nearby

  • Ambae Activity reported
    Distance: 19 km ·Shield ·Elevation: 1'496 m ·Last eruption: 2026 ·Vanuatu
  • Gaua
    Distance: 112 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: 729 m ·Last eruption: 2022 ·Vanuatu
  • Ambrym Activity reported
    Distance: 117 km ·Shield(pyroclastic) ·Elevation: 1'334 m ·Last eruption: 2024 ·Vanuatu
  • Lopevi
    Distance: 153 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: 1'413 m ·Last eruption: 2007 ·Vanuatu
  • Suretamatai
    Distance: 165 km ·Complex ·Elevation: 921 m ·Last eruption: 1966 ·Vanuatu
  • East Epi
    Distance: 173 km ·Stratovolcano(es) ·Elevation: 833 m ·Last eruption: 2023 ·Vanuatu

Radius · 100 km

Nearby infrastructure

Up to 3 nearest sites per category

Airports

  • Walaha AirportVanuatu · WLH · NVSW
    15.9 kmStraight-line distance
  • Longana AirportVanuatu · LOD · NVSG
    27.9 kmStraight-line distance
  • Sara AirportVanuatu · SSR · NVSH
    52.4 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 hours5
First 72 hours7
Strongest subsequent eventM5.9
M4.92025-05-27 09:21:42 UTC33.1 km32 km ENE of Luganville, Vanuatu M4.92025-05-27 09:21:43 UTC28.7 kmVANUATU M5.92025-05-28 08:57:47 UTC124.0 kmVANUATU M5.92025-05-28 08:57:48 UTC120.9 km52 km SW of Sola, Vanuatu M5.92025-05-28 08:57:48 UTC123.7 kmVanuatu Islands M5.12025-05-28 21:22:48 UTC99.4 kmVANUATU M4.62025-05-30 04:01:37 UTC99.9 kmVANUATU M4.62025-06-01 03:48:06 UTC44.2 kmVANUATU

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#2
Earlier events M≥426
Earlier events M≥53
Compared since2025-01-04

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

Strongest earlier events

M5.32025-01-04 22:23:37 UTC95.6 km7 km E of Lakatoro, Vanuatu M5.22025-02-08 09:24:13 UTC97.9 km55 km E of Lakatoro, Vanuatu M5.02025-03-28 01:53:55 UTC88.4 km79 km ENE of Lakatoro, Vanuatu M4.92025-05-18 19:59:05 UTC127.9 kmVanuatu Islands M4.92025-03-20 03:24:48 UTC70.0 km20 km NE of Port-Olry, 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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