A shallow and significant MAG-5.1 earthquake struck in the Coral Sea 255 kilometer from Port-Vila, Vanuatu in the morning of Thursday May 29th, 2025.
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Earthquake Summary
This earthquake hit under water in the Coral Sea, right off the coast of Vanuatu (11 mi offshore), 255 kilometer northwest of Port-Vila in Shefa. The center of this earthquake had a very shallow depth of 10 km. Shallow earthquakes usually have a larger impact than earthquakes deep in the earth.
| Date and Time: | May 29, 2025 08:22AM (Efate Time) - May 28, 2025 21:22 Universal Time. |
|---|---|
| Location: | 255 km NW of Port-Vila, Shefa, Vanuatu. Coordinates 15°49'40"S 166°59'6"E. |
| Map: |  Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps. |
| Magnitude: | MAG 5.1 Detected by 34 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.098 . |
| Depth: | 10 km (6 mi) A very 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 255 kilometer (158 mi) northwest of Port-Vila.
Overview of nearby places
| Distance | Place |
|---|---|
| 255 km (158 mi) SE from epicenter |
Port-Vila Shefa, Vanuatu. |
Aftershocks detected
This main shock was prefaced by 1 smaller foreshock. Roughly 2 days before this earthquake, a foreshock measuring MAG-4.9 was detected nearby this earthquake.
Overview of foreshocks and aftershocks
| Classification | Magnitude | When | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| Foreshock | M 4.9 |
2 days earlier May 27, 2025 08:21PM (Efate Time) | 69 km (43 mi) NE from Main Shock. |
| Main Shock This Earthquake |
M 5.1 |
May 29, 2025 08:22AM (Efate Time) | - |
More earthquakes coming?
The risk of aftershocks decreases rapidly over time. Usually, aftershocks are at least one order of magnitude lower than a main shock.
The chance that a significant earthquake like this one is followed by an even larger earthquake is not so large. On average, scientists estimate a 94% chance that a major earthquake will not be followed by an even larger one. It is still adviced to be aware of this risk
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 May 28th, 2025, when a 5.9 magnitude earthquake hit 176 km (110 mi) further north. An even stronger magnitude 7.3 earthquake struck on December 17th, 2024.
In total, 209 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 17 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 10 km (6 mi). Earthquakes this shallow could trigger a tsunami. |
Sources
Last updated 16/06/25 23:38 (). 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 us6000qgib
- European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20250528_0000254
- Geonames.org: World Cities Database
- Google Maps: Static API
- Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database
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