Earthquakes in Vanuatu

No events have been recorded in Vanuatu in the past 30 days, and 6 of the events on record reached magnitude 5 or above — the level at which damage becomes a genuine concern for vulnerable construction. Vanuatu sits on the Pacific Ring of Fire, the belt of subduction zones responsible for roughly 90% of the world's earthquakes.

14 earthquakes have been recorded in Vanuatu in our catalogue, 0 of them in the past 30 days.

The average magnitude is 5.1 and the average focal depth 55 km. 14 events reached magnitude 4 or above and 6 reached magnitude 5 or above.

The strongest earthquake recorded in Vanuatu in this period was a magnitude 7.3 event near Port-Vila, Vanuatu on 17 December 2024, at a depth of 57 km. A magnitude 7.3 earthquake radiates roughly 1.3 million tons of TNT equivalent in seismic energy.

Locations recording the most events include Malorua (5), Port Vila (2), Central Malekula (1).

93% of events here are shallow (under 70 km), 7% intermediate (70–300 km) and 0% deep-focus (over 300 km). Almost everything here is crustal. That is characteristic of transform faulting or continental deformation rather than subduction — and it means shaking at the surface is strong for the magnitudes involved.

The deepest event on record here was a magnitude 5.1 earthquake at 73 km beneath Malorua, Vanuatu on 30 December 2024.

By band, the catalogue holds 8 in the magnitude 4 range, 5 in the magnitude 5 range, 1 in the magnitude 7 range.

The busiest single day was 17 December 2024, with 8 recorded events.

1 of these events carry a USGS link to NOAA tsunami information. That link flag does not mean a tsunami occurred or that a warning was issued.