Shallow M5.4 Earthquake struck on Thursday Morning in the Coral Sea 292km from Port-Vila (Vanuatu).

Written by Earthquakelist.org on October 29th, 2026.

In the Coral Sea 292 kilometer from Port-Vila, Vanuatu, a shallow and significant Magnitude 5.4 earthquake occurred in the morning of Thursday October 29th, 2026. Roughly 70 thousand people may have felt this earthquake.

Earthquake Summary

This earthquake hit under water in the Coral Sea, right off the coast of Vanuatu (1 mi offshore), 292 kilometer north 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:	Oct 29, 2026 11:08AM (Efate Time) - Oct 29, 2026 00:08 Universal Time.
Location:	292 km north of Port-Vila, Shefa, Vanuatu. Coordinates 15°7'17"S 168°5'58"E.
Map:	Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps.
Magnitude:	MAG 5.4 Detected by 33 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.054 .
Depth:	10 km (6 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 70 thousand people exposed to shaking

An estimated 70 thousand have been exposed to shaking (An MMI or Modified Mercalli Intensity level II or higher) as a result of this earthquake according scientific estimates published by the USGS.

Strong shaking and probably light damage may have been experienced by an estimated 1,410 people. At VI, it is the highest MMI level this earthquake has caused. The majority of people (roughly 40 thousand) live in an area exposed to level III, where weak shaking and probably no damage is 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
37,940	III	Weak	Probably none
28,380	IV	Light	Likely none
1,890	V	Moderate	Very light
1,410	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

This earthquake may have been felt in Vanuatu . Port-Vila in Shefa, Vanuatu is the nearest significant place from the epicenter. The earthquake occurred 292 kilometer (181 mi) north of Port-Vila.

Overview of nearby places

Cities and Towns around the epicenter of this earthquake.
Distance	Place
292 km (181 mi) S from epicenter	Port-Vila Shefa, Vanuatu.

Earthquake Intensity Map

The graph below overlays a map of the region around the epicenter with earthquake intensity data provided by the US Geographic Survey. The highest intensity level detected for this earthquake is VI.

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 1 person

People that feel an earthquake may report their experience to the US Geographic Survey. Currently, 1 person has reported shaking in one place 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:

Longana, Penama, Vanuatu: 1 person.

Aftershocks detected

This main shock was followed by 1 smaller aftershock. Just 49 mins after this main shock, an earthquake measuring MAG-4.9 was detected 13 km (8 mi) north-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 5.4	Oct 29, 2026 11:08AM (Efate Time)	-
Aftershock	M 4.9	49 mins later Oct 29, 2026 11:57AM (Efate Time)	13 km (8 mi) NE 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.

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 October 28th, 2026, when a 5.6 magnitude earthquake hit 274 km (170 mi) further northwest. An even stronger magnitude 7.3 earthquake struck on March 30th, 2026.

In total, 136 earthquakes with a magnitude of 5.4 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 27 days.

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 5.4. 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 29/10/26 09:08 (). 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.