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M5.0 Earthquake near VANUATU

UTC time: 2026-05-31 02:48:01 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
M5.0
Depth
35.0 km
Source
EMSC

VANUATU

Map

M5.0 Earthquake near VANUATU · 2026-05-31 — Map showing the location of the epicenter
M5.0 Earthquake near VANUATU · 2026-05-31 — Map showing the location of the epicenter

About this earthquake

A magnitude M5.0 earthquake was recorded near VANUATU on May 31, 2026 at 02:48 UTC. With a focal depth of about 35 km, this was a shallow earthquake, whose shaking is usually felt more strongly at the surface. Earthquakes of this magnitude can damage poorly built structures.

The event was recorded by EMSC.

Details

ID
d1e387759ebccf2c1bc929810f46b8a881e1edc1
Magnitude
M5.0
Depth
35.0 km
UTC time
2026-05-31 02:48:01 UTC
Local time
—
Country
—
Source
emsc
Coordinates
-17.36160, 167.75100
Temperature
27.6°C

Depth profile

Depth profile Depth: 35 km (Shallow) Surface Shallow Intermediate Deep 0 km 70 km 300 km 700 km 35 km
Shallow
35 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 Vila72.8 kmSE35'901

GeoNames · CC BY 4.0

Volcanoes nearby

  • Nguna-Emau
    Distance: 65 km ·Stratovolcano(es) ·Elevation: 589 m ·Vanuatu
  • Kuwae
    Distance: 101 km ·Caldera ·Elevation: -2 m ·Last eruption: 1974 ·Vanuatu
  • East Epi
    Distance: 102 km ·Stratovolcano(es) ·Elevation: 833 m ·Last eruption: 2023 ·Vanuatu
  • Lopevi
    Distance: 114 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: 1'413 m ·Last eruption: 2007 ·Vanuatu
  • Ambrym Activity reported
    Distance: 130 km ·Shield(pyroclastic) ·Elevation: 1'334 m ·Last eruption: 2024 ·Vanuatu
  • Ambae Activity reported
    Distance: 220 km ·Shield ·Elevation: 1'496 m ·Last eruption: 2026 ·Vanuatu

Radius · 100 km

Nearby infrastructure

Up to 3 nearest sites per category

Airports

  • Bauerfield International AirportVanuatu · VLI · NVVV
    71.1 kmStraight-line distance
  • Valesdir AirportVanuatu · VLS · NVSV
    77.5 kmStraight-line distance
  • Lamen Bay AirportVanuatu · LNB · NVSM
    96.7 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

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#26
Earlier events M≥4107
Earlier events M≥543
Compared since2025-01-01

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

Strongest earlier events

M6.02026-05-19 02:29:24 UTC97.0 kmVanuatu Islands M5.92026-05-19 02:29:26 UTC106.6 kmVanuatu Islands [Sea: Vanuatu] M5.92025-05-11 11:22:21 UTC68.1 kmVANUATU M5.92025-02-10 00:09:43 UTC11.1 km65 km WNW of Port-Vila, Vanuatu M5.92025-02-10 00:09:42 UTC20.4 km53 km WNW of Port-Vila, Vanuatu

Stats (last 24h)

Global (24h)
576
Country (24h)
—
—
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