Real-time earthquake monitor ·
USGS data
This moderate M5.3 earthquake was a shallow-focus event, striking at 10 km beneath Port-Vila, Vanuatu. Moderate earthquakes are widely felt and can cause light damage near the epicenter, particularly to older or unreinforced structures.
At 10 km, this is a very shallow earthquake. Shallow-focus events typically generate stronger surface shaking relative to their magnitude, concentrating energy in a smaller area near the epicenter.