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M6.3 Earthquake Strikes Near Port-Olry, Vanuatu

Natural Disasters

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A seismograph instrument that records ground motion from earthquakes
A seismograph, the instrument that records earthquake ground motion. A magnitude-5.9 quake near Taumarunui, New Zealand, triggered smartphone alerts and revealed a previously unmapped fault. Photo: अक्षय विनायकराव तायडे, CC BY-SA 4.0."Seismograph in Shimla House Pune" by अक्षय विनायकराव तायडे is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) said a magnitude 6.3 earthquake struck 197 kilometers northwest of Port-Olry, a village on Espiritu Santo island in Vanuatu, at a depth of 16 kilometers, at 4:20 a.m. UTC on Oct. 20, 2026. USGS reports the quake's time in UTC only.

At least one person near the epicenter reported feeling the shaking, USGS said. The agency's shaking-intensity model puts about 3,520 people in a zone of light shaking and about 30 people in a zone of weak shaking. USGS's impact estimate says there is a low likelihood of casualties and damage.

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By Kate AlbrekhtWriter

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M6.3 Earthquake Strikes Near Port-Olry, Vanuatu

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