Shallow M6.3 Earthquake hit in the Coral Sea 256km from Port-Vila (Vanuatu) on Thursday Evening.

Written by Earthquakelist.org on October 8th, 2026. Last updated November 8th, 2026.

A shallow and strong MAG-6.3 earthquake struck in the Coral Sea 256 kilometer from Port-Vila, Vanuatu in the evening of Thursday October 8th, 2026. Shaking may have been felt by a total of 90 thousand people.

Earthquake Summary

This earthquake hit under water in the Coral Sea, right off the coast of Vanuatu (7 mi offshore), 256 kilometer north of Port-Vila in Shefa. The center of this earthquake had a very shallow depth of 19 km. Shallow earthquakes usually have a larger impact than earthquakes deep in the earth.

Date and Time:	Oct 8, 2026 08:00PM (Efate Time) - Oct 8, 2026 09:00 Universal Time.
Location:	256 km north of Port-Vila, Shefa, Vanuatu. Coordinates 15°25'60"S 168°16'42"E.
Map:	Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps.
Magnitude:	MAG 6.3 Detected by 26 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.036 .
Depth:	19 km (12 mi) A very shallow depth.
Max. Intensity:	VII Very Strong 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 90 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 90 thousand have been exposed to shaking at an MMI level of II or higher.

The highest earthquake impact level for this earthquake is VII, which corresponds with very strong shaking and likely moderate damage. Roughly 390 people are expected to be exposed to this level. Intensity level IV was experienced by the majority of people (around 50 thousand). In their region, light shaking and likely no damage can be expected. All exposure to shaking was within the borders of Vanuatu .

People	MMI Level	Shaking	Damage
0	I	Not noticable	None
0	II	Very weak	None
0	III	Weak	Probably none
53,070	IV	Light	Likely none
25,410	V	Moderate	Very light
11,370	VI	Strong	Light
390	VII	Very Strong	Moderate
0	VIII	Severe	Moderate to heavy
0	IX	Violent	Heavy
0	X	Extreme	Very heavy

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 256 kilometer (159 mi) north of Port-Vila.

Overview of nearby places

Cities and Towns around the epicenter of this earthquake.
Distance	Place
256 km (159 mi) S from epicenter	Port-Vila Shefa, Vanuatu.

Earthquake Intensity Map

The maximum intensity (MMI Scale) caused by this earthquake is VII. 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.

Shaking reported by 5 people

People that feel an earthquake may report their experience to the US Geographic Survey. Currently, 5 people have reported shaking in 2 places in Vanuatu.We keep updating this article as more ground reports become available. You may report that you felt this earthquake here.

Places with most reports:

Luganville, Sanma, Vanuatu: 3 people.
Longana, Penama, Vanuatu: 2 people.

3 Aftershocks detected

After this earthquake struck, 3 smaller aftershocks occurred. A 5.2 magnitude earthquake hit 1 day later 17 km (10 mi) southwest of this earthquake.

Before this earthquake struck, 2 smaller foreshocks occurred. Nearby this earthquake a foreshock struck 2 days earlier. It measured a magnitude of 4.5

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
Foreshock	M 4.5	2 days earlier Oct 6, 2026 08:52PM (Efate Time)	48 km (30 mi) NW from Main Shock.
Foreshock	M 4.3	2 days earlier Oct 7, 2026 03:45AM (Efate Time)	81 km (50 mi) W from Main Shock.
Main Shock This Earthquake	M 6.3	Oct 8, 2026 08:00PM (Efate Time)	-
Aftershock	M 4.5	9 hrs later Oct 9, 2026 05:09AM (Efate Time)	17 km (10 mi) E from Main Shock.
Aftershock	M 5.2	1 day later Oct 10, 2026 12:51AM (Efate Time)	17 km (10 mi) SW from Main Shock.
Aftershock	M 4.6	3 days later Oct 11, 2026 04:07PM (Efate Time)	82 km (51 mi) N from Main Shock.

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 March 30th, 2026, when a 7.3 magnitude earthquake hit 76 km (47 mi) further west. That was also the heaviest earthquake to hit the region in the past 10 years.

In total, 19 earthquakes with a magnitude of 6.3 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 6.3. Earthquakes of this strength are unlikely to trigger a tsunami.	This earthquake occurred at a depth of of 19 km (12 mi). Earthquakes this shallow could trigger a tsunami.

Sources

Last updated 08/11/26 02:58 (). 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.