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M5.0 Earthquake near Santa Cruz Islands

UTC time: 2026-01-20 08:18:09 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
55.0 km
Source
GFZ

Santa Cruz Islands

Map

M5.0 Earthquake near Santa Cruz Islands · 2026-01-20 — Map showing the location of the epicenter
M5.0 Earthquake near Santa Cruz Islands · 2026-01-20 — Map showing the location of the epicenter

About this earthquake

A magnitude M5.0 earthquake was recorded near Santa Cruz Islands on January 20, 2026 at 08:18 UTC. With a focal depth of about 55 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 data is provided by GFZ and cross-checked across seismological networks.

Details

ID
d8c4ffa2570487c7b20cf316f2e3abe03211b307
Magnitude
M5.0
Depth
55.0 km
UTC time
2026-01-20 08:18:09 UTC
Local time
—
Country
—
Source
gfz
Coordinates
-11.93000, 167.63000
Temperature
29.4°C

Depth profile

Depth profile Depth: 55 km (Shallow) Surface Shallow Intermediate Deep 0 km 70 km 300 km 700 km 55 km
Shallow
55 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 Vila649.8 kmS35'901

GeoNames · CC BY 4.0

Volcanoes nearby

  • Motlav
    Distance: 194 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: 411 m ·Vanuatu
  • Suretamatai
    Distance: 209 km ·Complex ·Elevation: 921 m ·Last eruption: 1966 ·Vanuatu
  • Gaua
    Distance: 262 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: 729 m ·Last eruption: 2022 ·Vanuatu
  • Tinakula
    Distance: 263 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: 796 m ·Last eruption: 2024 ·Solomon Islands
  • Ambae Activity reported
    Distance: 385 km ·Shield ·Elevation: 1'496 m ·Last eruption: 2026 ·Vanuatu
  • Ambrym
    Distance: 483 km ·Shield(pyroclastic) ·Elevation: 1'334 m ·Last eruption: 2024 ·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#17
Earlier events M≥461
Earlier events M≥518
Compared since2025-01-08

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

Strongest earlier events

M6.32025-08-14 16:22:32 UTC146.8 kmSanta Cruz Islands M6.02025-10-25 23:28:06 UTC134.8 kmVanuatu [Sea] M6.02025-10-25 23:28:05 UTC145.2 km197 km SSE of Lata, Solomon Islands M6.02025-10-25 23:28:04 UTC145.2 km197 km SSE of Lata, Solomon Islands M5.82025-02-23 18:16:18 UTC146.7 kmTemotu

Stats (last 24h)

Global (24h)
701
Country (24h)
—
—
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