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M5.3 Earthquake near 7 km E of Lakatoro, Vanuatu

UTC time: 2025-01-04 22:23:37 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

M5.3

Depth: 36.9 km
Source: USGS

7 km E of Lakatoro, Vanuatu

Map

About this earthquake

A magnitude M5.3 earthquake was recorded near 7 km E of Lakatoro, Vanuatu on January 4, 2025 at 22:23 UTC. The hypocenter lay relatively close to the surface at around 37 km, increasing how strongly it was felt. Events of this size can cause damage near the epicenter.

The data is provided by USGS and cross-checked across seismological networks.

Details

cc80909251126d7fe740b95e72d7b79fe385f4a2

Magnitude

M5.3

Depth

36.9 km

UTC time

2025-01-04 22:23:37 UTC

Local time

—

Country

—

Source

usgs

Coordinates

-16.10140, 167.48280

Depth profile

Shallow

36.9 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 Vila202.2 kmSE35'901

GeoNames · CC BY 4.0

Volcanoes nearby

Ambrym Activity reported

Distance: 70 km ·Shield(pyroclastic) ·Elevation: 1'334 m ·Last eruption: 2024 ·Vanuatu
Ambae Activity reported

Distance: 88 km ·Shield ·Elevation: 1'496 m ·Last eruption: 2026 ·Vanuatu
Lopevi

Distance: 103 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: 1'413 m ·Last eruption: 2007 ·Vanuatu
East Epi

Distance: 116 km ·Stratovolcano(es) ·Elevation: 833 m ·Last eruption: 2023 ·Vanuatu
Kuwae

Distance: 137 km ·Caldera ·Elevation: -2 m ·Last eruption: 1974 ·Vanuatu
Nguna-Emau

Distance: 176 km ·Stratovolcano(es) ·Elevation: 589 m ·Vanuatu

Radius · 100 km

Nearby infrastructure

Up to 3 nearest sites per category

Airports

Norsup AirportVanuatu · NUS · NVSP
9.1 kmStraight-line distance
Craig Cove AirportVanuatu · CCV · NVSF
50.5 kmStraight-line distance
Lamap AirportVanuatu · LPM · NVSL
54.5 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 hours1

First 24 hours1

First 72 hours1

Strongest subsequent eventM4.8

M4.32025-01-04 23:06:57 UTC104.6 km84 km ENE of Luganville, Vanuatu M4.32025-01-12 15:42:49 UTC138.9 km122 km E of Port-Olry, Vanuatu M4.82025-01-17 17:34:33 UTC142.5 km52 km ENE of Port-Olry, Vanuatu M4.42025-01-17 20:55:10 UTC68.0 km68 km S of Lakatoro, Vanuatu M4.52025-01-19 00:27:33 UTC74.7 km67 km E of Luganville, Vanuatu M4.32025-01-22 04:12:08 UTC137.2 km24 km NE of Port-Olry, Vanuatu M4.72025-02-03 05:06:58 UTC71.0 km66 km E of Luganville, Vanuatu

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#1

Earlier events M≥41

Earlier events M≥50

Compared since2025-01-01

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

Strongest earlier events

M4.52025-01-01 22:55:44 UTC94.3 km92 km S of Lakatoro, Vanuatu

Stats (last 24h)

Global (24h)

588

Country (24h)

—

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