A significant M5.1 aftershock struck in the Coral Sea 25 kilometer from Port-Vila, Vanuatu in the late afternoon of Monday January 27th, 2025.
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Earthquake Summary
This earthquake hit under water in the Coral Sea, right off the coast of Vanuatu (5 mi offshore), 25 kilometer west 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 27, 2025 05:55PM (Efate Time) - Jan 27, 2025 06:55 Universal Time. |
|---|---|
| Location: | 25 km west of Port-Vila, Shefa, Vanuatu. Coordinates 17°44'56"S 168°4'45"E. |
| Map: |  Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps. |
| Magnitude: | MAG 5.1 Detected by 12 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.089 . |
| 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 25 kilometer (16 mi) west of Port-Vila.
Overview of nearby places
| Distance | Place |
|---|---|
| 25 km (16 mi) E from epicenter |
Port-Vila Shefa, Vanuatu. |
Shaking reported by 12 people
People that feel an earthquake may report their experience to the US Geographic Survey. Currently, 12 people have 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:
- Vila, Shefa, Vanuatu: 12 people.
This is likely an aftershock
This earthquake was an aftershock. A larger mag. 5.3 earthquake struck 4 km (2.7 mi) east-northeast in advance of this 5.1 earthquake around 1 day earlier.
Overview of foreshocks and aftershocks
| Classification | Magnitude | When | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| Main Shock | M 5.3 |
Jan 26, 2025 05:13PM (Efate Time) | - |
| Aftershock This Earthquake |
M 5.1 |
1 day later Jan 27, 2025 05:55PM (Efate Time) | 4 km (2.7 mi) WSW from Main Shock. |
More earthquakes coming?
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.
It's always adviced to be cautious of the risk of a larger shock following any significant earthquake, however this risk is fairly small. There is a roughly 94 percent change that no larger main shock will follow in the days following this 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. In total, 166 earthquakes with a magnitude of 5.1 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 22 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 5.1. 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 30/01/25 06:38 (). This article contains currently available information about the earthquake and is automatically composed. We continue to update this article up to a few days after the earthquake occurred.
- US Geographic Society (USGS): Earthquake us6000pmix
- European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20250127_0000077
- Geonames.org: World Cities Database
- Google Maps: Static API
- Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database
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