A shallow and significant Magnitude 5.2 foreshock struck in the Coral Sea 94 kilometer from Port-Vila, Vanuatu in the night of Sunday May 17th, 2026.
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Earthquake Summary
This earthquake hit under water in the Coral Sea, 70 kilometers (43 mi) off the coast of Vanuatu, 94 kilometer east 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 17, 2026 01:07AM (Efate Time) - May 16, 2026 14:07 Universal Time. |
|---|---|
| Location: | 94 km east of Port-Vila, Shefa, Vanuatu. Coordinates 17°46'15"S 169°12'13"E. |
| Map: |  Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps. |
| Magnitude: | MAG 5.2 Detected by 33 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.054 . |
| 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 94 kilometer (58 mi) east of Port-Vila.
Overview of nearby places
| Distance | Place |
|---|---|
| 94 km (58 mi) W from epicenter |
Port-Vila Shefa, Vanuatu. |
This is likely a foreshock
This earthquake was followed by a stronger MAG-5.4 earthquake, classifying this earthquake as a foreshock.
Overview of foreshocks and aftershocks
| Classification | Magnitude | When | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| Foreshock | M 4.6 |
22 hrs earlier May 16, 2026 05:28AM (Efate Time) | 13 km (8 mi) S from Main Shock. |
| Foreshock | M 5.3 |
3 hrs earlier May 16, 2026 11:59PM (Efate Time) | 3 km (2 mi) NE from Main Shock. |
| Foreshock This Earthquake |
M 5.2 |
2 hrs earlier May 17, 2026 01:07AM (Efate Time) | 12 km (7 mi) N from Main Shock. |
| Foreshock | M 4.9 |
23 mins earlier May 17, 2026 02:35AM (Efate Time) | 33 km (21 mi) W from Main Shock. |
| Main Shock | M 5.4 |
May 17, 2026 02:58AM (Efate Time) | - |
More earthquakes coming?
Aftershocks are usually at least 1 order of magnitude less strong than main shocks. The more time passes, the smaller the chance and likely strength of any potential aftershocks.
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 May 16th, 2026, when a 5.3 magnitude earthquake hit 9 km (6 mi) further south. An even stronger magnitude 7.3 earthquake struck on December 17th, 2024.
In total, 122 earthquakes with a magnitude of 5.2 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 30 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 5.2. 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 17/05/26 05:08 (). 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 us6000sy7u
- European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20260516_0000175
- Geonames.org: World Cities Database
- Google Maps: Static API
- Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database
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