On Friday Afternoon a Shallow M6.1 Earthquake struck in the Coral Sea 169km from Port-Vila (Vanuatu).

Written by Earthquakelist.org on March 20th, 2026. Last updated April 18th, 2026.

In the early afternoon of Friday March 20th, 2026, a shallow and strong MAG-6.1 earthquake hit in the Coral Sea 169 kilometer from Port-Vila, Vanuatu. Roughly 160 thousand people may have felt this earthquake. New Caledonia is also near its epicenter.

Earthquake Summary

This earthquake hit under water in the Coral Sea, 85 kilometers (53 mi) off the coast of Vanuatu, 169 kilometer south 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:	Mar 20, 2026 01:30PM (Efate Time) - Mar 20, 2026 02:30 Universal Time.
Location:	169 km south of Port-Vila, Shefa, Vanuatu. Coordinates 19°15'21"S 168°19'32"E.
Map:	Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps.
Magnitude:	MAG 6.1 Detected by 50 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.044 .
Depth:	10 km (6 mi) A very shallow depth.
Max. Intensity:	V Moderate 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 90% likelyhood of between 0 and 1 fatalities.

The USGS classifies the economic impact of this earthquake at level GREEN (low). They expect an 90% likelyhood of between 0 and 1 million US Dollars in economic damage and impact.

Roughly 160 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 160 thousand have been exposed to shaking at an MMI level of II or higher.

Light shaking and likely no damage may have been experienced by an estimated 62,060 people. At IV, it is the highest MMI level this earthquake has caused. Intensity level III was experienced by the majority of people (around 100 thousand). In their region, weak shaking and probably no damage can be expected.

People in 2 countries have been exposed to shaking. Roughly 150 thousand people were exposed to shaking in Vanuatu , with level IV (light shaking, likely no damage) as the highest recorded. In New Caledonia , around 10 thousand people.

People	MMI Level	Shaking	Damage
0	I	Not noticable	None
0	II	Very weak	None
95,700	III	Weak	Probably none
62,060	IV	Light	Likely none
0	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

Vanuatu and New Caledonia are both located within 300km distance of the epicenter of the earthquake.

Located 169 kilometer (105 mi) south of the epicenter of this earthquake, Port-Vila (Shefa, Vanuatu) is the nearest significant population center. Port-Vila experienced an earthquake intensity (MMI Scale) of roughly III. That level implies weak shaking and probably no damage.

An overview of nearby towns and cities is available in the overview below. If places don't have intensity data available, it likely means the experienced impact in those places was fairly small.

Overview of nearby places

Cities and Towns around the epicenter of this earthquake.
Distance	Place	Intensity (MMI)
169 km (105 mi) N from epicenter	Port-Vila Shefa, Vanuatu.	III Weak
377 km (234 mi) SW from epicenter	Dumbéa South Province, New Caledonia.
381 km (237 mi) SW from epicenter	Mont-Dore South Province, New Caledonia.
388 km (241 mi) SW from epicenter	Nouméa South Province, New Caledonia.

Earthquake Intensity Map

The maximum intensity (MMI Scale) caused by this earthquake is IV. The map below shows in which areas this earthquake was the most and least impactful. It is based on data from the US Geographic Survey.

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.

3 Aftershocks detected

After this earthquake struck, 3 smaller aftershocks occurred. A 4.6 magnitude earthquake hit 17 hrs later 2.2 km (1.4 mi) south-east 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 6.1	Mar 20, 2026 01:30PM (Efate Time)	-
Aftershock	M 4.4	8 hrs later Mar 20, 2026 09:12PM (Efate Time)	8 km (5 mi) W from Main Shock.
Aftershock	M 4.3	12 hrs later Mar 21, 2026 01:12AM (Efate Time)	15 km (10 mi) SW from Main Shock.
Aftershock	M 4.6	17 hrs later Mar 21, 2026 06:55AM (Efate Time)	2.2 km (1.4 mi) SE 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 17th, 2024, when a 7.3 magnitude earthquake hit 176 km (109 mi) further north. That was also the heaviest earthquake to hit the region in the past 10 years.

In total, 22 earthquakes with a magnitude of 6.1 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 6 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 6.1. 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 18/04/26 02:38 (). 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.