M6.3 Earthquake Strikes Near Port-Olry, Vanuatu

Port-Olry, Vanuatu — A magnitude 6.3 earthquake struck the South Pacific late Monday night, hitting offshore waters northwest of Vanuatu's island of Espiritu Santo.

What happened: The quake hit at 11:20 PM Central time Monday, centered about 127 miles west-northwest of the coastal town of Port-Olry. It struck at a shallow depth of roughly 6 miles below the ocean floor, the U.S. Geological Survey reports. Shallow earthquakes like this one can shake harder at the surface than deeper quakes of the same size.

Impacts: The epicenter sits well offshore in open ocean, more than 120 miles from the nearest Vanuatu community, and no damage reports have surfaced in the first data from the USGS. No shaking reports had been filed when the initial reading was posted. The USGS has flagged this quake for tsunami evaluation — standard procedure for a strong, shallow earthquake beneath the ocean — and the agency will update its assessment as more readings come in.

What to do:

- If you felt shaking along a Vanuatu coastline, move to higher ground or inland right away and stay alert for official tsunami updates.

- Drop, cover, and hold on if the ground starts moving again — aftershocks commonly follow a quake this size.

- Check your home for hazards: gas lines, cracked walls, and anything that could fall.

- Follow instructions from Vanuatu's disaster management office and local authorities.

*Source: U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), October 19, 2026.*