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Vanuatu · Tafea

M4.8 Earthquake near Tafea (Vanuatu)

UTC time: 2026-05-20 16:53:34 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.

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About this earthquake

A magnitude M4.8 earthquake was recorded near Tafea (Vanuatu) on May 20, 2026 at 16:53 UTC. At around 260 km, the focal depth places this among intermediate-depth events. Tremors of this size are distinctly felt and can occasionally cause light damage.

The event was recorded by GFZ.

Details

ID
ce1001fd7f4d814fe0e4c5fb76f335bb2e5ad105
Magnitude
M4.8
Depth
260.0 km
UTC time
2026-05-20 16:53:34 UTC
Local time
—
Country
Vanuatu
State
Tafea
City
Tafea
Source
gfz
Coordinates
-19.36000, 169.47000
Temperature
22.8°C

Depth profile

Depth profile Depth: 260 km (Intermediate) Surface Shallow Intermediate Deep 0 km 70 km 300 km 700 km 260 km
Intermediate
260 km
260 km — deeper than the regional average (92.2 km)
Regional average: 92.2 km
Why depth matters

Intermediate-depth quakes are felt across a wider area but usually cause less surface damage.

Depth classes per USGS

Volcanoes nearby

  • Yasur
    Distance: 19 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: 361 m ·Last eruption: 2026 ·Vanuatu
  • Traitor's Head
    Distance: 72 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: 817 m ·Last eruption: 1881 ·Vanuatu
  • Gemini-Oscostar
    Distance: 190 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: -33 m ·Last eruption: 1996 ·Vanuatu
  • Nguna-Emau
    Distance: 243 km ·Stratovolcano(es) ·Elevation: 589 m ·Vanuatu
  • Kuwae
    Distance: 299 km ·Caldera ·Elevation: -2 m ·Last eruption: 1974 ·Vanuatu
  • East Epi
    Distance: 319 km ·Stratovolcano(es) ·Elevation: 833 m ·Last eruption: 2023 ·Vanuatu

Radius · 50 km

Nearby infrastructure

Up to 3 nearest sites per category

Airports

  • Whitegrass AirportVanuatu · TAH · NVVW
    27.9 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

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

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.

Stats (last 24h)

Global (24h)
621
Country (24h)
Vanuatu
0
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