In the Coral Sea 201 kilometer from Port-Vila, Vanuatu, a significant Magnitude 5.3 earthquake occurred in the morning of Sunday January 5th, 2025.
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Earthquake Summary
This earthquake hit under water in the Coral Sea, right off the coast of Vanuatu (3 mi offshore), 201 kilometer north-northwest of Port-Vila in Shefa. The center of this earthquake had a quite shallow depth of 35 km. Shallow earthquakes usually have a larger impact than earthquakes deep in the earth.
| Date and Time: | Jan 5, 2025 09:23AM (Efate Time) - Jan 4, 2025 22:23 Universal Time. |
|---|---|
| Location: | 201 km NNW of Port-Vila, Shefa, Vanuatu. Coordinates 16°6'40"S 167°29'47"E. |
| Map: |  Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps. |
| Magnitude: | MAG 5.3 Detected by 14 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.083 . |
| Depth: | 35 km (22 mi) A quite shallow depth. |
| Tsunami Risk: | Low tsunami risk Earthquakes under MAG-6.5 do not usually cause tsunami's. Always stay cautious - More info here. |
Nearby towns and cities
This earthquake may have been felt in Vanuatu . Port-Vila in Shefa, Vanuatu is the nearest significant place from the epicenter. The earthquake occurred 201 kilometer (125 mi) north-northwest of Port-Vila.
Overview of nearby places
| Distance | Place |
|---|---|
| 201 km (125 mi) SSE from epicenter |
Port-Vila Shefa, Vanuatu. |
Shaking reported by 1 person
People that feel an earthquake may report their experience to the US Geographic Survey. Currently, 1 person has reported shaking in one place in Vanuatu.We keep updating this article as more ground reports become available. You may report that you felt this earthquake here.
Places with most reports:
- Luganville, Sanma, Vanuatu: 1 person.
Risk of aftershocks?
We have not yet detected any foreshocks or aftershocks (MAG-2.5 or higher) within 100km (62 mi) of this earthquake.
Earthquakes can create aftershocks. These are generally at least 1 magnitude lower than any main shock, and as time passes the chance and strength of aftershocks decreases.
In only six percent of cases, significant earthquakes are followed by a larger main shock, making the current earthquake a foreshock. While the chance of this happening is not so large, it is adviced to maintain cautiousness in the hours and days following a major earthquake.
Read: How to Stay Safe during an Earthquake (cdc.gov).Earthquakes like this happen often in the region
Earthquakes of this strength are very common in the region. This is the strongest earthquake to hit since December 21st, 2024, when a 6.1 magnitude earthquake hit 187 km (116 mi) further south-southeast. An even stronger magnitude 7.3 earthquake struck on December 17th, 2024.
In total, 158 earthquakes with a magnitude of 5.3 or higher have been registered within 300km (186 mi) of this epicenter in the past 10 years. This comes down to an average of once every 23 days.
Low tsunami risk
Based on early data it appears this earthquake was not strong enough (lower than MAG-6.5) to be likely to cause destructive tsunami's. However this earthquake appeared to have hit at a shallow depth under sea, so stay cautious and monitor advice from local authorities.
Tsunami Risk Factors
| Factor | Under Sea? | MAG-6.5 or stronger? | Shallow depth? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Explanation | Almost all tsunami's are caused by earthquakes with their epicenter under sea or very near the sea. However stay cautious in coastal areas as earthquakes on land may cause landslides into sea, potentially still causing a local tsunami. | Under MAG 6.5: Very unlikely to cause a tsunami. MAG 6.5 to 7.5: Destructive tsunami's do occur, but are uncommon. Likely to observe small sea level changes. MAG 7.6+: Earthquakes with these magnitudes might produce destructive tsunami's. |
Most destructive tsunami's are caused by shallow earthquakes with a depth between 0 and 100km under the surface of the earth. Deeper tsunami's are unlikely to displace to ocean floor. |
| This Earthquake | This earthquake appears to have struck under the sea. | Not this earthquake. This earthquake had a magnitude of 5.3. Earthquakes of this strength are unlikely to trigger a tsunami. |
This earthquake occurred at a depth of of 35 km (22 mi). Earthquakes this shallow could trigger a tsunami. |
Sources
Last updated 14/01/25 22:58 (). This article is automatically generated based on available data. We keep checking multiple sources for additional information. This article gets updated as new details on this earthquake become available.
- US Geographic Society (USGS): Earthquake us6000phws
- European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20250104_0000245
- Geonames.org: World Cities Database
- Google Maps: Static API
- Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database
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