Back to map
Vanuatu

M5.6 Earthquake near 38 km NNE of Port-Olry, Vanuatu (Vanuatu)

UTC time: 2025-12-23 20:42:00 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.

Map

M5.6 Earthquake near 38 km NNE of Port-Olry, Vanuatu (Vanuatu) · 2025-12-23 — Map showing the location of the epicenter
M5.6 Earthquake near 38 km NNE of Port-Olry, Vanuatu (Vanuatu) · 2025-12-23 — Map showing the location of the epicenter

About this earthquake

On December 23, 2025 at 20:42 UTC, a magnitude M5.6 earthquake occurred near 38 km NNE of Port-Olry, Vanuatu (Vanuatu). The earthquake originated at an intermediate depth of about 171 km. Events of this size can cause damage near the epicenter.

The event was recorded by USGS.

Details

ID
e8093fd156ae66c9eee67176edde2f23fbf4b898
Magnitude
M5.6
Depth
171.0 km
UTC time
2025-12-23 20:42:00 UTC
Local time
—
Country
Vanuatu
City
Sanma
Source
usgs
Coordinates
-14.70320, 167.16510
Temperature
27.5°C

Depth profile

Depth profile Depth: 171 km (Intermediate) Surface Shallow Intermediate Deep 0 km 70 km 300 km 700 km 171 km
Intermediate
171 km
171 km — deeper than the regional average (93.6 km)
Regional average: 93.6 km
Why depth matters

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

Depth classes per USGS

Nearby population centers

Distances are straight-line distances from the epicenter. Population data: GeoNames.

PlaceDistanceDirectionPopulation
Port Vila358.9 kmS35'901

GeoNames · CC BY 4.0

Volcanoes nearby

  • Gaua
    Distance: 60 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: 729 m ·Last eruption: 2022 ·Vanuatu
  • Ambae Activity reported
    Distance: 105 km ·Shield ·Elevation: 1'496 m ·Last eruption: 2026 ·Vanuatu
  • Suretamatai
    Distance: 106 km ·Complex ·Elevation: 921 m ·Last eruption: 1966 ·Vanuatu
  • Motlav
    Distance: 127 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: 411 m ·Vanuatu
  • Ambrym Activity reported
    Distance: 200 km ·Shield(pyroclastic) ·Elevation: 1'334 m ·Last eruption: 2024 ·Vanuatu
  • Lopevi
    Distance: 237 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: 1'413 m ·Last eruption: 2007 ·Vanuatu

Radius · 100 km

Nearby infrastructure

Up to 3 nearest sites per category

Airports

  • North West Santo AirportVanuatu · OLJ · NVSZ
    68.2 kmStraight-line distance
  • Santo Pekoa International AirportVanuatu · SON · NVSS
    89.4 kmStraight-line distance
  • Walaha AirportVanuatu · WLH · NVSW
    97.0 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 hours0
First 24 hours0
First 72 hours0
Strongest subsequent eventM5.6
M5.52026-01-09 23:19:34 UTC124.6 kmTorba M5.62026-01-09 23:19:34 UTC117.4 kmTorba M5.62026-01-09 23:19:36 UTC117.4 kmTorba M5.22026-01-09 23:19:47 UTC105.4 kmTorba M5.02026-01-13 10:43:36 UTC66.4 kmPenama M4.72026-01-13 10:43:38 UTC62.5 kmPenama M4.72026-01-13 10:43:39 UTC62.0 kmSanma M4.62026-01-13 22:30:14 UTC5.3 kmSanma

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

Historical context nearby

Comparison with recorded earthquakes before this event within 150 km.

Magnitude rank#7
Earlier events M≥480
Earlier events M≥535
Compared since2025-01-04

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

Strongest earlier events

M5.92025-05-28 08:57:48 UTC49.9 km52 km SW of Sola, Vanuatu M5.92025-05-28 08:57:48 UTC56.6 kmVanuatu Islands M5.92025-05-28 08:57:47 UTC57.7 kmVANUATU M5.82025-10-07 22:36:22 UTC144.0 kmVanuatu Islands [Sea: Vanuatu] M5.82025-10-07 22:36:19 UTC136.9 kmVanuatu Islands

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.

Share