M6.1 earthquake hits Vanuatu at intermediate depth
A strong earthquake registered by the USGS as M6.1 hit Vanuatu at 03:20 UTC (14:20 LT) on August 16, 2026. The agency is reporting a depth of 188.1 km (116.9 miles). EMSC is reporting the same magnitude and depth.
Epicenter of M6.1 earthquake in Port-Olry, Vanuatu on August 16, 2026. Credit: TW/SAM, Google
The epicenter was located 55 km (35 miles) NNE of Port-Olry (population 1 951), 85 km (55 miles) SSW of Sola (population 1 171), 110 km (70 miles) N of Luganville (population 13 397), 375 km (235 miles) NNW of Port-Vila (population 35 901), and 710 km (440 miles) N of Wé (population 10 375), New Caledonia.
145 000 people are estimated to have felt weak shaking and 8 000 light.
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.
Little or no area and little or no population are estimated to have been affected by landsliding or liquefaction.
Estimated population exposure to earthquake shaking
Selected cities exposed
Regional seismicity
References:
1 M6.1 earthquake Vanuatu – USGS – August 16, 2026
2 M6.1 earthquake Vanuatu – EMSC – August 16, 2026
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.
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