Reviewed by USGS1d ago
M5.3 earthquake in Vanuatu region
Friday, September 25, 2026, 11:12:15 UTC · 21.890°S, 174.079°E
A magnitude 5.3 earthquake struck in Vanuatu region on Friday, September 25, 2026, 11:12:15 UTC, at a depth of 24.0 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M5.5 on September 7, 2026.
- Magnitude
- 5.3
- Moderate · mww
- Depth
- 24 km
- Shallow
- Felt reports
- 0
- Did You Feel It?
- Est. shaking
- —
- No ShakeMap
- PAGER alert
- None
- Not issued
- Tsunami
- No flag
- USGS feed
Outlined circle: this earthquake
In context
How big was it, and why here?
Energy released
1 kilotons of TNT
That is about 1/11 of the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 3 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
1 km
from the nearest mapped plate boundary, between the Conway Reef and New Hebrides plates. Earthquakes cluster along boundaries like this one, where plates collide, pull apart or slide past each other.
Depth: shallow
24 km
Shallow earthquakes (under 70 km) produce the strongest surface shaking for their size, so they are the ones most likely to cause damage near the epicenter.
Did You Feel It?
Where it was felt
No “Did You Feel It?” reports have been published for this event yet. If you felt it, you can add your report on the USGS website.
I felt it — report to USGS ↗USGS PAGER estimate
Who was exposed to shaking
USGS publishes PAGER impact estimates for significant earthquakes, usually within an hour. No PAGER estimate is available for this event.
After the main event
Aftershocks within 75 km
USGS has not published any M2.5+ earthquake within 75 km since this event.
Regional history
Past M5+ earthquakes within 300 km
USGS lists 502 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 7.7southeast of the Loyalty IslandsFebruary 10, 2021 · 280 km SW of this epicenter
- 7.6south of the Fiji IslandsMarch 3, 1990 · 115 km E of this epicenter
- 7.3Vanuatu regionOctober 2, 2021 · 120 km NE of this epicenter
- 7.2southeast of the Loyalty IslandsNovember 14, 1906 · 264 km W of this epicenter
- 7.2southeast of the Loyalty IslandsAugust 12, 2016 · 119 km SW of this epicenter
- 7.1southeast of the Loyalty IslandsAugust 17, 1935 · 273 km W of this epicenter
- 7.1southeast of the Loyalty IslandsApril 14, 1906 · 287 km W of this epicenter
- 7.1Vanuatu regionFebruary 25, 2000 · 264 km N of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 4 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700. The most severe:
- 2021M7.7
Loyalty Islands
10 Feb 2021 · 286 km away · intensity VII
tsunami
- 1990M7.6
Fiji Islands
3 Mar 1990 · 115 km away
- 1944M7.5
Loyalty Islands
5 Oct 1944 · 225 km away
- 2016M7.2
Loyalty Islands
12 Aug 2016 · 119 km away · intensity VI
tsunami
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.