In the morning of Saturday September 26th, 2026, a shallow and strong Magnitude 6.6 earthquake hit in the Coral Sea 248 kilometer from Nouméa, New Caledonia. Mag 6.5+ earthquakes at shallow depth under sea have the potential to cause tsunami's. Another nearby country is Vanuatu.
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Earthquake Summary
This earthquake hit under water in the Coral Sea, 59 kilometers (37 mi) off the coast of New Caledonia, 248 kilometer north-east of Nouméa in South Province. 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 26, 2026 08:23 (Noumea Time) - Sep 25, 2026 21:23 Universal Time. |
|---|---|
| Location: | 248 km NE of Nouméa, South Province, New Caledonia. Coordinates 21°17'54"S 168°36'36"E. |
| Map: |  Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps. |
| Magnitude: | MAG 6.6 Detected by 22 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.052 . |
| Depth: | 10 km (6 mi) A very shallow depth. |
| Max. Intensity: | VI
Strong On the Modified Mercalli Scale. |
| Tsunami Risk: | Potential Tsunami Risk Mag 6.5+ earthquakes at shallow depth under sea have the potential to cause tsunami's. Always stay cautious - More info here. |
Potential Tsunami Risk
There is a potential tsunami risk in the aftermath of this earthquake, immediately evacuate to higher grounds away from coastal areas and monitor advice from local authorities. This earthquake checks all the likely tsunami risk factors: under sea, at a magnitude of MAG-6.5+ and at a shallow depth.
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. | This earthquake had a magnitude of 6.6. Earthquakes of this strength could trigger a tsunami. | This earthquake occurred at a depth of of 10 km (6 mi). Earthquakes this shallow could trigger a tsunami. |
Nearby towns and cities
This earthquake struck within proximity of multiple countries. New Caledonia and Vanuatu are both within 300km distance of its epicenter.
Located 237 kilometer (147 mi) north-east of the epicenter of this earthquake, Mont-Dore (South Province, New Caledonia) is the nearest significant population center.
The table below provides an overview of all places in proximity of today's earthquake.
Overview of nearby places
| Distance | Place |
|---|---|
| 237 km (147 mi) SW from epicenter |
Mont-Dore South Province, New Caledonia. |
| 242 km (150 mi) SW from epicenter |
Dumbéa South Province, New Caledonia. |
| 248 km (154 mi) SW from epicenter |
Nouméa South Province, New Caledonia. |
| 397 km (247 mi) N from epicenter |
Port-Vila Shefa, Vanuatu. |
Earthquake Intensity Map
The maximum intensity (MMI Scale) caused by this earthquake is VI. 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.
Shaking reported by 8 people
People that feel an earthquake may report their experience to the US Geographic Survey. Currently, 8 people have reported shaking in 2 places in 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:
- Nouméa, Sud, New Caledonia: 7 people.
- Dumbéa, Sud, New Caledonia: 1 person.
Risk of aftershocks?
We have not yet detected any foreshocks or aftershocks (MAG-2.5 or higher) within 100km (62 mi) of this earthquake.
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).This is the strongest earthquake in 3 years
Earthquakes of this strength occur quite regularly in the region. This is the strongest earthquake to hit since December 7th, 2023, when a 7.1 magnitude earthquake hit 105 km (65 mi) further north-east. An even stronger magnitude 7.5 earthquake struck on December 5th, 2018.
In total, 9 earthquakes with a magnitude of 6.6 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 year.
Sources
Last updated 25/09/26 22:18 (). 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 us6000txpi
- European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20260925_0000287
- Geonames.org: World Cities Database
- Google Maps: Static API
- Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database
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