M5.5 Earthquake 18 km W of Port-Vila, Vanuatu — December 17, 2024
2024-12-17 18:17:23 UTC (2024-12-17) · approx. 5:17 AM UTC+11 local
Felt by 1 person across nearby locations. Maximum shaking intensity MMI 4.8 (moderate).
On December 17, 2024 at 18:17 UTC, a magnitude 5.5 shallow crustal earthquake struck 18 km W of Port-Vila, Vanuatu, at a depth of 46.0 km and coordinates -17.7053°, 168.1418°. The earthquake was reported felt by 1 personacross nearby locations, with a maximum shaking intensity of Modified Mercalli Intensity (MMI) 4.8 (moderate). The USGS PAGER system issued a green alert level for this event, indicating no significant casualties or damage expected. This earthquake was detected by 166 seismic stations with excellent location accuracy and was assigned a USGS significance rating of 466, placing it among routine seismic activity. The nearest populated place is Lakatoro (population 705).
Physical scale: An earthquake of magnitude 5.5 releases seismic energy equivalent to roughly 3 kilotons of TNT. Empirical fault-scaling laws (Wells & Coppersmith, 1994) estimate the subsurface rupture length at approximately 3.8 km — a useful intuition for the size of the slip patch on the fault.
The epicenter is located in Vanuatu, a region characterized by the New Hebrides subduction zone, where the Australian Plate subducts eastward at approximately 90 mm per year. View all earthquakes in Vanuatu.
Learn more: Magnitude scale · Aftershock sequences
Nearest Populated Places
ShakeMap — predicted shaking intensity
Modeled ground-motion intensity contoured on the Modified Mercalli scale (MMI). Computed by the USGS from the moment-tensor solution and regional ground-motion prediction equations.
Source: U.S. Geological Survey ShakeMap. View interactive ShakeMap on USGS
Did You Feel It? — community-reported shaking
Aggregated felt-report intensity from 1 citizen response to the USGS Did You Feel It? system. Each colored zone represents the average MMI from reports in that area.
Source: U.S. Geological Survey Did You Feel It?. View on USGS · submit your own report
Population exposure (USGS PAGER)
Estimated population that experienced each level of shaking. Based on the USGS PAGER rapid impact assessment, which combines ShakeMap output with global population grids.
| Shaking intensity (MMI) | Description | Population exposed |
|---|---|---|
| MMI 3 | weak | 79,473 |
| MMI 4 | light | 76,486 |
| MMI 5 | moderate | 17,742 |
Earthquake Details
168.1418°E
Technical Information
Common Questions
How strong was the magnitude 5.5 earthquake near Port-Vila, Vanuatu?
The magnitude 5.5 earthquake that struck 18 km W of Port-Vila, Vanuatu on December 17, 2024 at 18:17 UTC had a depth of 46.0 km. It was felt by 1 person with maximum shaking intensity of MMI 4.8 (moderate). For context, this was a moderate earthquake that could be widely felt.
Where did the earthquake occur?
The earthquake epicenter was located at -17.7053°, 168.1418°, which is 18 km W of Port-Vila, Vanuatu. The nearest populated place is Lakatoro (population 705). View all earthquakes in Vanuatu.
Were there aftershocks?
Aftershock activity is monitored continuously by the USGS. Aftershock sequences from magnitude 5.5 earthquakes can continue for days to weeks and gradually diminish over time.
Has Vanuatu had earthquakes this big before?
The largest recorded earthquake in Vanuatu was the M7.9 Vanuatu earthquake of October 7, 2009. Today's magnitude 5.5 event is significantly smaller than that historical record.
Authoritative source: USGS event page (event ID: us7000nzln). All scientific values on this page are sourced verbatim from the USGS feed.
Cite this page: EarthquakeTracker.org. (2024, December 17, 2024). M5.5 Earthquake 18 km W of Port-Vila, Vanuatu — December 17, 2024. Retrieved February 27, 2025 from https://www.earthquaketracker.org/earthquakes/event/us7000nzln/