M 5.0 Earthquake 72 km NW of Port-Vila, Vanuatu
Areazine synthesizes this USGS earthquake report directly from USGS's official public data feed. See our methodology for full source attribution and refresh cadence.
A magnitude 5.0 mb earthquake occurred 72 km northwest of Port-Vila, Vanuatu, at a depth of 35 km.
What this USGS earthquake report tells you, and what most readers miss
This notice was issued by USGS on June 9, 2026 and geographically references Vanuatu. Its severity classification of "medium" signals how the issuing agency weighs the risk of harm if no action is taken - "critical" and "high" tier alerts typically carry direct consumer actions, while "medium" and "low" tend toward informational guidance or monitoring advisories. The category it belongs to - Earthquakes - determines the monitoring protocol behind it, which shapes what follow-up action (checking for structural damage, watching for aftershocks, reviewing local building codes) is relevant and which agency holds authority over the assessment.
Most readers skim a notice like this, check whether they are personally affected, and move on. The more useful lens is to verify its scope, source, and timestamp, then compare related notices without assuming that one record proves a broader trend.
Areazine pairs this record with the original agency URL so you can check the primary source before acting. Its related labels are earthquake, seismic, usgs, Vanuatu.
What Happened
A magnitude 5.0 mb earthquake struck 72 km NW of Port-Vila, Vanuatu, on 2026-05-01 at 12:08:01 UTC (Unix time 1780195681280). The event was recorded at coordinates 17.3616°S, 167.751°E with a depth of 35 km.
Location Details
The epicenter was located 72 km northwest of Port-Vila at latitude -17.3616, longitude 167.751. The 35 km depth classifies as intermediate (20-70 km).
Impact Assessment
No felt reports, tsunami advisory, or alert level data were available in the source. The tsunami flag was recorded as 0.
What You Should Know
This was classified as a moderate earthquake. Residents in the region should follow standard earthquake safety practices.
Source
Data from USGS: https://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/eventpage/us7000splm
Original source: USGS Official Notice ↗
Related Earthquakes
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Two Areazine-derived peer sets for this USGS earthquake report: nearest notices by body length and by same severity near the same agency date. Peers come from other categories so they are not the same-feed Related list above.
Similar body length
Nearest notices by article body length (774 characters here).
Similar severity timing
Same severity (medium) notices issued closest in time to June 9, 2026.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about this USGS earthquake report.