Strong M6.5 earthquake hits Vanuatu at intermediate depth
Image credit: TW/SAM, Google
A strong earthquake registered by the USGS as M6.5 hit Vanuatu at 12:47 UTC on August 16, 2023. The agency is reporting a depth of 193 km (119 miles). EMSC is reporting the same magnitude and depth.
The epicenter was located 42.5 km (26.4 miles) W of Sola and 182.4 km (113.3 miles) N of Luganville, Vanuatu.
96 000 people are estimated to have felt light shaking
There is no tsunami threat from this earthquake.
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.
