Significant M5.9 Earthquake hit near Port-Vila in Vanuatu on Sunday Evening.

Written by Earthquakelist.org on May 11th, 2025. Last updated June 21st, 2025.

In the evening of Sunday May 11th, 2025, a significant Magnitude 5.9 earthquake hit under land 5 kilometer from Port-Vila in Vanuatu. Around 180 thousand people have been exposed to shaking.

Earthquake Summary

The earthquake struck on land in Vanuatu, 5 kilometer (3 mi) north of Port-Vila in Shefa. The center of this earthquake had a quite shallow depth of 60 km. Shallow earthquakes usually have a larger impact than earthquakes deep in the earth.

Date and Time:	May 11, 2025 10:22PM (Efate Time) - May 11, 2025 11:22 Universal Time.
Location:	5 km north of Port-Vila, Shefa, Vanuatu. Coordinates 17°41'18"S 168°18'31"E.
Map:	Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps.
Magnitude:	MAG 5.9 Detected by 70 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.037 .
Depth:	60 km (37 mi) A quite shallow depth.
Max. Intensity:	VII Very Strong On the Modified Mercalli Scale.
Tsunami Risk:	Tsunami very unlikely While this was a shallow earthquake in a coastal area, it appears to have occurred under land (3 km from the sea) with a magnitude that is usually not strong enough to 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.

Strong shaking and probably light damage may have been experienced by an estimated 56,730 people. At VI, it is the highest MMI level this earthquake has caused. Intensity level III was experienced by of people (around 60 thousand). In their region, weak shaking and probably no damage can be expected. 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
61,310	III	Weak	Probably none
25,330	IV	Light	Likely none
35,300	V	Moderate	Very light
56,730	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 5 kilometer (3 mi) north of Port-Vila. The intensity of shaking and damage in Port-Vila is estimated to be around level VI on the Modified Mercalli Intensity scale (strong shaking, probably light damage).

Overview of nearby places

Cities and Towns around the epicenter of this earthquake.
Distance	Place	Intensity (MMI)
5 km (3 mi) S from epicenter	Port-Vila Shefa, Vanuatu.	VI Strong

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 57 people in 2 countries

People that feel an earthquake may report their experience to the US Geographic Survey. Currently, 57 people have reported shaking in 4 places in 2 countries (Vanuatu, New Caledonia).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: 54 people.
Luganville, Sanma, Vanuatu: 1 person.
Nouméa, Sud, New Caledonia: 1 person.
Wé, Îles, New Caledonia: 1 person.

Aftershocks detected

Since this main shock, 1 smaller aftershock was detected. A 4.6 magnitude earthquake hit 6 hrs later 27 km (17 mi) west of this earthquake.

This main shock was prefaced by 1 smaller foreshock. Roughly 2 days before this earthquake, a foreshock measuring MAG-4.7 was detected nearby 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
Foreshock	M 4.7	2 days earlier May 10, 2025 03:49AM (Efate Time)	2.5 km (1.6 mi) ENE from Main Shock.
Main Shock This Earthquake	M 5.9	May 11, 2025 10:22PM (Efate Time)	-
Aftershock	M 4.6	6 hrs later May 12, 2025 04:38AM (Efate Time)	27 km (17 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 February 10th, 2025, when a 5.9 magnitude earthquake hit 50 km (31 mi) further west-northwest. 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.

Tsunami very unlikely

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.

While MAG-6.5+ earthquakes may cause tsunami's, it appears that the epicenter of this earthquake hit under land. In addition, the reported depth is deeper than 100km, making the risk of a tsunami even less likely. However always 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 on land near a coastal area (3 km from 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 60 km (37 mi). Earthquakes this shallow could trigger a tsunami.

Sources

Last updated 21/06/25 03:18 (). 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.