Strong and shallow M6.3 earthquake hits Vanuatu
A strong and shallow earthquake registered by the USGS as M6.3 hit Vanuatu at 04:20 UTC on October 20, 2026. The agency is reporting a depth of 16 km (9.9 miles). EMSC is reporting M6.3 at a depth of 5 km (3.1 miles). According to the NWS Pacific Tsunami Warning Center (PTWC), there is no tsunami threat from this earthquake.
Epicenter of M6.3 earthquake in Vanuatu on October 20, 2026. Credit: TW/SAM, Google
The epicenter was located 200 km (125 miles) NW of Port-Olry (population 1 951), 210 km (130 miles) W of Sola (population 1 171), 240 km (150 miles) NW of Luganville (population 13 397), and 510 km (315 miles) NW of Port-Vila (population 35 901), Vanuatu.
There is no tsunami threat from this earthquake, NWS PTWC reported at 04:29 UTC. The center used preliminary earthquake parameters of M6.6 and a depth of 10 km (6 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.
This is the second M6+ earthquake in this area following M6.0 at 07:49 UTC on October 19.
Estimated population exposure to earthquake shaking
Regional seismicity
References:
1 M6.3 earthquake Vanuatu – USGS – October 20, 2026
2 M6.3 earthquake Vanuatu – EMSC – October 20, 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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