M 5.3 Earthquake 94 km E 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 5.3 mww earthquake struck 94 km east of Port-Vila, Vanuatu, at a depth of 10 km.
What this USGS earthquake report tells you, and what most readers miss
This notice was issued by USGS on May 16, 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 M 5.3 mww earthquake occurred at 94 km E of Port-Vila, Vanuatu. The event took place on 2026-05-15 at 12:59:30 UTC.
Location Details
The earthquake was located at coordinates -17.8503 latitude, 169.1937 longitude, with a depth of 10 km. This depth is classified as shallow (less than 20 km).
Impact Assessment
No felt reports, tsunami advisory, or alert level information is available for this event. The tsunami status is listed as 0.
What You Should Know
Earthquakes of this magnitude are considered moderate and may cause damage to poorly constructed buildings. Aftershocks are possible following any earthquake.
Source
https://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/eventpage/us6000sy7l (USGS)
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 (725 characters here).
Similar severity timing
Same severity (medium) notices issued closest in time to May 16, 2026.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about this USGS earthquake report.