Shallow M6.0 earthquake hits near the coast of Port-Vila, Vanuatu
Image credit: TW/SAM, Google
A strong and shallow earthquake registered by the USGS as M6.0 hit Vanuatu at 16:06 UTC on April 4, 2022. The agency is reporting a depth of 33.1 km (20.5 miles). EMSC is reporting M6.0 at a depth of 40 km (24.8 miles).
The epicenter was located about 55 km (34 miles) WNW of Port-Vila (population 35 901), Shefa, Vanuatu, and 230 km (143 miles) SSE of Luganville, Sanma, Vanuatu.
There are about 90 000 people living within 100 km (62 miles).
The USGS issued a Green alert for shaking-related fatalities and economic losses. There is a low likelihood of casualties and damage.
Overall, the population in this region resides in structures that are highly vulnerable to earthquake shaking, though some resistant structures exist. The predominant vulnerable building types are unknown/miscellaneous types and wood construction.
Recent earthquakes in this area have caused secondary hazards such as landslides that might have contributed to losses.
Estimated population exposure to earthquake shaking
Selected cities exposed
Regional seismicity
Teo Blašković founded The Watchers in 2011 and edited it until 2026, covering seismic and volcanic activity, extreme weather, space weather and near-Earth objects. Articles on this page are his archive.
