MODERATE EARTHQUAKE
Vanuatu region
A magnitude 5.3 earthquake struck Vanuatu region on 25 Sept 2026, 11:12 UTC. The hypocentre was 24 km below the surface — shallow by seismological convention. No felt reports have been received so far.
- Depth
- 24 km
- Latitude
- 21.89°S
- Time
- 11:12 UTC
- Magnitude
- M5.3
shallow
174.08°E longitude
25 Sept 2026
mww
EPICENTRE
MAGNITUDE 5.3
Can damage poorly constructed buildings; well-built structures usually escape with little harm.
The scale is logarithmic: this released about 89 times the energy of a magnitude 4.0, roughly the energy of 1 thousand tonnes of TNT.
24 KM DEEP
Shallow earthquakes release their energy close to the surface, so they are felt more strongly, and do more damage, than deeper earthquakes of the same magnitude.
OTHER RECENT EARTHQUAKES
26 Sept 2026, 12:14 UTC · 10 km deep
26 Sept 2026, 12:14 UTC · 10 km deep
26 Sept 2026, 10:53 UTC · 10 km deep
26 Sept 2026, 10:21 UTC · 10 km deep