Shallow M5.9 Earthquake hit in the Coral Sea near Port-Vila (Vanuatu) on Monday Morning.

Written by Earthquakelist.org on February 10th, 2025. Last updated March 27th, 2025.

In the morning of Monday February 10th, 2025, a shallow and significant Magnitude 5.9 earthquake hit in the Coral Sea 53 kilometer from Port-Vila, Vanuatu. Around 180 thousand people have been exposed to shaking.

Earthquake Summary

This earthquake hit under water in the Coral Sea, 38 kilometers (23 mi) off the coast of Vanuatu, 53 kilometer west-northwest of Port-Vila in Shefa. The center of this earthquake had a very shallow depth of 18 km. Shallow earthquakes usually have a larger impact than earthquakes deep in the earth.

Date and Time:	Feb 10, 2025 11:09AM (Efate Time) 45 days ago - Feb 10, 2025 00:09 Universal Time.
Location:	53 km WNW of Port-Vila, Shefa, Vanuatu. Coordinates 17°30'4"S 167°52'33"E.
Map:	Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps.
Magnitude:	MAG 5.9 Detected by 38 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.05 .
Depth:	18 km (11 mi) A very shallow depth.
Max. Intensity:	VI Strong On the Modified Mercalli Scale.
Tsunami Risk:	Low tsunami risk Earthquakes under MAG-6.5 do not usually cause tsunami's. Always stay cautious - More info here.

Minimal impact predicted

Based on scientific estimates by the US Geographic Survey (USGS), the risk of high fatalities for this earthquake is classified at level GREEN (low). They expect an 65% likelyhood of between 0 and 1 fatalities, and a 96% chance that the number of fatalities falls no higher than 10.

The USGS classifies the economic impact of this earthquake at level GREEN (low). They expect an 65% likelyhood of between 0 and 1 million US Dollars in economic damage and impact, and a 96% chance that the economic impact of this earthquake falls no higher than 10 million USD.

Roughly 180 thousand people exposed to shaking

The USGS has published a report estimating the number of people exposed to this earthquake. Acoording to their analysis, roughly 180 thousand have been exposed to shaking at an MMI level of II or higher.

Moderate shaking and very light damage may have been experienced by an estimated 80,160 people. At V, it is the highest MMI level this earthquake has caused. All exposure to shaking was within the borders of Vanuatu .

People	MMI Level	Shaking	Damage
0	I	Not noticable	None
0	II	Very weak	None
51,230	III	Weak	Probably none
43,650	IV	Light	Likely none
80,160	V	Moderate	Very light
0	VI	Strong	Light
0	VII	Very Strong	Moderate
0	VIII	Severe	Moderate to heavy
0	IX	Violent	Heavy
0	X	Extreme	Very heavy

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 53 kilometer (33 mi) west-northwest of Port-Vila. The intensity of shaking and damage in Port-Vila is estimated to be around level V on the Modified Mercalli Intensity scale (moderate shaking, very light damage).

Overview of nearby places

Cities and Towns around the epicenter of this earthquake.
Distance	Place	Intensity (MMI)
53 km (33 mi) ESE from epicenter	Port-Vila Shefa, Vanuatu.	V Moderate

Earthquake Intensity Map

The graph below overlays a map of the region around the epicenter with earthquake intensity data provided by the US Geographic Survey. The highest intensity level detected for this earthquake is VI.

I Not felt

II Weak

III Weak

IV Light

V Moderate

VI Strong

VII Very Strong

VIII Severe

IX Violent

X Extreme

Earthquake Intensity Map based on Shakemap Data provided by USGS.

Shaking reported by 8 people

People that feel an earthquake may report their experience to the US Geographic Survey. Currently, 8 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: 8 people.

15 Aftershocks detected

Since this main shock, 15 smaller aftershocks were detected. A 5.3 magnitude earthquake hit 6 mins later 17 km (11 mi) west-northwest of this earthquake.

Overview of foreshocks and aftershocks

Detected MAG2.5+ earthquakes within within 100km (62 mi), that occurred in the three days before and after the main shock.
Classification	Magnitude	When	Where
Main Shock This Earthquake	M 5.9	Feb 10, 2025 11:09AM (Efate Time)	-
Aftershock	M 5.3	4 mins later Feb 10, 2025 11:13AM (Efate Time)	6 km (4 mi) WSW from Main Shock.
Aftershock	M 5.3	6 mins later Feb 10, 2025 11:16AM (Efate Time)	17 km (11 mi) WNW from Main Shock.
Aftershock	M 4.9	23 mins later Feb 10, 2025 11:32AM (Efate Time)	12 km (8 mi) W from Main Shock.
Aftershock	M 4.9	23 mins later Feb 10, 2025 11:32AM (Efate Time)	12 km (8 mi) W from Main Shock.
Aftershock	M 4.1	1 hr later Feb 10, 2025 12:24PM (Efate Time)	10 km (6 mi) WNW from Main Shock.
Aftershock	M 4.2	2 hrs later Feb 10, 2025 01:16PM (Efate Time)	9 km (5 mi) WNW from Main Shock.
Aftershock	M 4.4	4 hrs later Feb 10, 2025 02:55PM (Efate Time)	3 km (2 mi) NE from Main Shock.
Aftershock	M 4.5	4 hrs later Feb 10, 2025 03:24PM (Efate Time)	5 km (3 mi) NW from Main Shock.
Aftershock	M 4.7	6 hrs later Feb 10, 2025 04:48PM (Efate Time)	6 km (4 mi) WNW from Main Shock.
Aftershock	M 4.4	7 hrs later Feb 10, 2025 05:59PM (Efate Time)	16 km (10 mi) W from Main Shock.
Aftershock	M 4.4	8 hrs later Feb 10, 2025 06:43PM (Efate Time)	32 km (20 mi) E from Main Shock.
Aftershock	M 5.0	10 hrs later Feb 10, 2025 09:18PM (Efate Time)	5 km (3 mi) NE from Main Shock.
Aftershock	M 4.4	12 hrs later Feb 10, 2025 11:22PM (Efate Time)	5 km (2.9 mi) SW from Main Shock.
Aftershock	M 4.2	2 days later Feb 12, 2025 12:15AM (Efate Time)	15 km (9 mi) NW from Main Shock.
Aftershock	M 4.4	2 days later Feb 12, 2025 12:07PM (Efate Time)	59 km (37 mi) W 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. This is the strongest earthquake to hit since December 21st, 2024, when a 6.1 magnitude earthquake hit 26 km (16 mi) further south-southeast. An even stronger magnitude 7.3 earthquake struck on December 17th, 2024.

In total, 47 earthquakes with a magnitude of 5.9 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 3 months.

Low tsunami risk

DISCLAIMER: We strongly suggest to closely monitor advice from local authorities with regards to tsunami risks. Our analysis is based on automatically collected data from external sources, and these might contain mistakes. In addition, earthquakes can cause landslides that may lead to a tsunami, or be a followed by another, potentially stonger, earthquake.

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 5.9. Earthquakes of this strength are unlikely to trigger a tsunami.	This earthquake occurred at a depth of of 18 km (11 mi). Earthquakes this shallow could trigger a tsunami.

Sources

Last updated 27/03/25 04:58 (9 hours ago). 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.