Magnitude 5.8 earthquake — Port-Olry, Vanuatu
A magnitude 5.8 earthquake struck near Port-Olry, Vanuatu at a depth of about 10 km. Details, shaking intensity and any tsunami information are on the USGS event page.
Explained simply
Vanuatu is an island country in the South Pacific, where the Pacific and Australian tectonic plates meet. Their movement makes earthquakes common in the region.
Port-Olry is a settlement on Espiritu Santo, Vanuatu’s largest island. Earthquake effects can vary with distance from the epicentre, depth and local ground conditions, so the magnitude alone does not show how strongly people felt the shaking.
The US Geological Survey records earthquakes and publishes information such as their location, depth and estimated strength. Tsunami risk depends on factors including the quake’s location and movement beneath the sea.