Vanuatu islands on Tuesday witnessed strong tremors of 6 magnitude, according to the German Research Centre for Geosciences (GFZ). The shallow earthquake struck at a depth of 10 km (6.21 miles), GFZ said.
The quake measuring 6 magnitude on the Richter scale struck Port Vila, Shefa Province, the European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC) said. The seismic activity was felt at 1:29 pm local time. In the aftershocks that followed, a strong 5.8 magnitude earthquake jolted the Coral Sea near Efate Island. The quake occurred at a shallow depth of 37 km and was felt near the epicenter during noon hours of Tuesday.
Vanuatu, known for its pristine reefs, active volcanoes, and rich Melanesian culture, is an 83-island archipelago in the South Pacific. Located east of Australia and west of Fiji, the country supports a population of over 315,000.
Are Vanuatu islands earthquake prone?
Yes, the Vanuatu islands are extremely earthquake-prone and are globally recognised as one of the most at-risk nations in the world for seismic activity. The archipelago is located directly on the Pacific "Ring of Fire," which is an area of high seismic activity and tectonic plate boundaries where about 90% of the world's earthquakes occur. The islands are situated on a complex boundary where the Indo-Australian Plate pushes beneath the New Hebrides microplate, creating frequent and often violent seismic events.
What are shallow earthquakes?
Shallow earthquakes are seismic events that originate within the Earth's upper crust at depths of up to 70 km. They are responsible for the vast majority of global earthquake damage and destruction because they release their energy close to the surface without giving the seismic waves time or distance to dissipate. In contrast deep earthquakes are seismic events that occur at depths exceeding 300 km to as deep as 750 km below the Earth's surface. Meanwhile, intermediate quakes are seismic events with a focal depth between 70 and 300 km.
Earthquake shakes Manipur's Churachandpur
According to National Center for Seismology (NCS), an intermediate earthquake of magnitude 3.4 struck Churachandpur region located in Manipur. The tremors were felt at 6:48 am at a depth of 76 km.
NCS, the nodal agency of the Government of India for monitoring of earthquake activity in the country, in a post on X stated, “EQ of M: 3.4, On: 19/05/2026 06:48:32 IST, Lat: 24.179 N, Long: 93.423 E, Depth: 76 Km, Location: Churachandpur, Manipur.”
