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M5.5 Earthquake near Loyalty Islands

UTC time: 2026-09-26 01:10:17 UTC Local time: —
Earthquake newsQuakeMap24
First published: Content updated:

Automatically generated from measurement data by QuakeMap24. Values may change after further analysis.

Magnitude
M5.5
Depth
10.0 km
Source
GFZ

Loyalty Islands

Map

M5.5 Earthquake near Loyalty Islands · 2026-09-26 — Map showing the location of the epicenter
M5.5 Earthquake near Loyalty Islands · 2026-09-26 — Map showing the location of the epicenter

About this earthquake

On September 26, 2026 at 01:10 UTC, a magnitude M5.5 earthquake occurred near Loyalty Islands. 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
9c1bd8037cc040621755c34165a43d123ec92713
Magnitude
M5.5
Depth
10.0 km
UTC time
2026-09-26 01:10:17 UTC
Local time
—
Country
—
Source
gfz
Coordinates
-21.06000, 168.83000
Temperature
21.0°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

Tectonic context

Located on the New Hebrides Plate.
Near the boundary New Hebrides ↔ Australia · about 7 km away

Nearby population centers

Distances are straight-line distances from the epicenter. Population data: GeoNames.

PlaceDistanceDirectionPopulation
Mont-Dore269.5 kmSW24'680

GeoNames · CC BY 4.0

Volcanoes nearby

  • Gemini-Oscostar
    Distance: 135 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: -33 m ·Last eruption: 1996 ·Vanuatu
  • Yasur
    Distance: 182 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: 361 m ·Last eruption: 2026 ·Vanuatu
  • Traitor's Head
    Distance: 260 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: 817 m ·Last eruption: 1881 ·Vanuatu
  • Matthew Island
    Distance: 293 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: 177 m ·Last eruption: 1956 ·France - claimed by Vanuatu
  • Hunter Island
    Distance: 364 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: 297 m ·Last eruption: 1903 ·France - claimed by Vanuatu
  • Nguna-Emau
    Distance: 404 km ·Stratovolcano(es) ·Elevation: 589 m ·Vanuatu

Radius · 100 km

Nearby infrastructure

Up to 3 nearest sites per category

Airports

  • Maré AirportNew Caledonia · MEE · NWWR
    94.5 kmStraight-line distance

Source: OurAirports · Dataset date: 2026-09-25

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 hours1
First 24 hours1
First 72 hours1
Strongest subsequent eventM5.3
M5.32026-09-26 01:10:19 UTC53.8 kmLOYALTY ISLANDS

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#4
Earlier events M≥465
Earlier events M≥536
Compared since2025-01-01

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

Strongest earlier events

M7.02026-09-25 21:23:05 UTC44.2 km68 km ENE of Tadine, New Caledonia M6.12026-07-08 09:50:28 UTC78.7 kmVanuatu [Sea] M5.82026-09-02 21:22:11 UTC122.5 kmTafea M5.52026-09-25 23:39:41 UTC53.1 km61 km ENE of Tadine, New Caledonia M5.52026-06-08 18:49:45 UTC88.5 kmSoutheast of Loyalty Islands

Stats (last 24h)

Global (24h)
486
Country (24h)
—
—
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