Around noon of Tuesday September 8th, 2026, a shallow and significant MAG-5.1 aftershock hit in the South Pacific Ocean 299 kilometer from Port-Vila, Vanuatu.
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Earthquake Summary
This earthquake hit under water in the South Pacific Ocean, 48 kilometers (30 mi) off the coast of Vanuatu, 299 kilometer south-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: | Sep 8, 2026 11:52AM (Efate Time) - Sep 8, 2026 00:52 Universal Time. |
|---|---|
| Location: | 299 km SE of Port-Vila, Shefa, Vanuatu. Coordinates 19°48'26"S 170°7'10"E. |
| Map: |  Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps. |
| Magnitude: | MAG 5.1 Detected by 18 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.073 . |
| 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 . Located 299 kilometer (186 mi) south-east of the epicenter of this earthquake, Port-Vila (Shefa, Vanuatu) is the nearest significant population center.
Overview of nearby places
| Distance | Place |
|---|---|
| 299 km (186 mi) NW from epicenter |
Port-Vila Shefa, Vanuatu. |
This is likely an aftershock
This earthquake was an aftershock. A larger mag. 5.6 earthquake struck 4 km (2.5 mi) east in advance of this 5.1 earthquake around 2 days earlier.
Overview of foreshocks and aftershocks
| Classification | Magnitude | When | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| Foreshock | M 5.4 |
3 days earlier Sep 3, 2026 08:22AM (Efate Time) | 95 km (59 mi) SW from Main Shock. |
| Foreshock | M 4.8 |
2 days earlier Sep 4, 2026 12:47AM (Efate Time) | 96 km (60 mi) SW from Main Shock. |
| Main Shock | M 5.6 |
Sep 6, 2026 04:02AM (Efate Time) | - |
| Aftershock | M 4.7 |
4 hrs later Sep 6, 2026 08:06AM (Efate Time) | 13 km (8 mi) SW from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock This Earthquake |
M 5.1 |
2 days later Sep 8, 2026 11:52AM (Efate Time) | 4 km (2.5 mi) W from Main Shock. |
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.
In only six percent of cases, significant earthquakes are followed by a larger main shock, making the current earthquake a foreshock. While the chance of this happening is not so large, it is adviced to maintain cautiousness in the hours and days following a major 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. In total, 227 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 16 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 08/09/26 10:18 (). 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.
- US Geographic Society (USGS): Earthquake us7000tfqf
- European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20260908_0000007
- Geonames.org: World Cities Database
- Google Maps: Static API
- Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database
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