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M6.0 Earthquake near Vanuatu Islands

UTC time: 2026-05-19 02:29:24 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

M6.0

Depth: 10.0 km
Source: GFZ

Vanuatu Islands

Map

About this earthquake

On May 19, 2026 at 02:29 UTC, a magnitude M6.0 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. Events of this size are considered strong and can be dangerous in inhabited regions.

The event was recorded by GFZ.

Details

9d18dd140e3d577aa9073d9c61780e220ac0f98c

Magnitude

M6.0

Depth

10.0 km

UTC time

2026-05-19 02:29:24 UTC

Local time

—

Country

—

Source

gfz

Coordinates

-18.16000, 168.12000

Temperature

27.0°C

Depth profile

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 Vila51.4 kmNE35'901

GeoNames · CC BY 4.0

Volcanoes nearby

Nguna-Emau

Distance: 82 km ·Stratovolcano(es) ·Elevation: 589 m ·Vanuatu
Traitor's Head

Distance: 135 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: 817 m ·Last eruption: 1881 ·Vanuatu
Kuwae

Distance: 154 km ·Caldera ·Elevation: -2 m ·Last eruption: 1974 ·Vanuatu
East Epi

Distance: 167 km ·Stratovolcano(es) ·Elevation: 833 m ·Last eruption: 2023 ·Vanuatu
Lopevi

Distance: 185 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: 1'413 m ·Last eruption: 2007 ·Vanuatu
Yasur

Distance: 207 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
55.4 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 250 km. They are not automatically classified as aftershocks.

First 6 hours2

First 24 hours5

First 72 hours7

Strongest subsequent eventM5.9

M5.92026-05-19 02:29:26 UTC11.3 kmVanuatu Islands [Sea: Vanuatu] M5.42026-05-19 02:29:30 UTC11.8 kmEvent of magnitude 5.4, near Nouméa (Monde) M4.82026-05-19 14:18:39 UTC37.8 kmPort Vila M4.82026-05-19 14:18:40 UTC34.7 kmPort Vila M4.72026-05-19 14:18:41 UTC42.9 kmPort Vila M4.82026-05-20 16:53:34 UTC195.0 kmTafea M4.82026-05-20 16:53:36 UTC229.3 kmTafea M4.82026-05-28 09:41:10 UTC193.9 kmVanuatu Islands M4.72026-05-28 09:41:10 UTC210.4 kmLOYALTY ISLANDS M4.92026-05-31 02:47:57 UTC93.8 kmVanuatu Islands M5.02026-05-31 02:48:01 UTC97.0 kmVANUATU M5.02026-06-11 21:32:47 UTC133.0 kmTafea

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 250 km.

Magnitude rank#4

Earlier events M≥4169

Earlier events M≥577

Compared since2025-01-01

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

Strongest earlier events

M6.12026-03-20 02:30:33 UTC128.5 km###.# km ( ###.# mi) WSW (az= 247.2) from Fortuna Foothills, AZ M6.12026-03-20 02:30:33 UTC130.7 kmVanuatu Islands M6.12026-03-20 02:30:32 UTC126.1 km105 km WNW of Isangel, Vanuatu M5.92025-05-11 11:22:21 UTC54.6 kmVANUATU M5.92025-02-10 00:09:43 UTC86.2 km65 km WNW of Port-Vila, Vanuatu

Stats (last 24h)

Global (24h)

615

Country (24h)

—

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