M 5.1 Earthquake 75 km WSW of Sola, 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 5.1 mww earthquake struck 75 km WSW of Sola, Vanuatu at a depth of 16.7 km.
What this USGS earthquake report tells you, and what most readers miss
This notice was issued by USGS on August 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 5.1 mww earthquake occurred at 75 km WSW of Sola, Vanuatu. The event took place at Unix timestamp 1784927984549 (UTC) with a depth of 16.7 km.
Location Details
The epicenter was located at latitude -14.0586, longitude 166.8778, approximately 75 km west-southwest of Sola, Vanuatu. The depth of 16.7 km classifies this as a shallow earthquake (less than 20 km).
Impact Assessment
The earthquake was felt by 1 person, with a reported Community Decimal Intensity (CDI) of 4.3. No tsunami advisory was issued (tsunami field: 0) and no alert level was assigned.
What You Should Know
This was classified as a moderate earthquake. Shallow events of this magnitude are often felt but rarely cause significant damage.
Source
Original source: USGS Official Notice ↗
Related Earthquakes
All Earthquakes →Nationwide notices with similar length or severity timing 8
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 (840 characters here).
Similar severity timing
Same severity (medium) notices issued closest in time to August 9, 2026.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about this USGS earthquake report.