Powerful magnitude-7 earthquake strikes Vanuatu region

No tsunami warning issued

Earthquake tremors felt at Vanautu island on Wednesday 22 November 2023 (Screengrab/ USGS)

A magnitude-7 earthquake struck the Vanuatu region in the South Pacific on Wednesday, according to the US Geological Survey.

The quake was at a depth of 10km below the Earth’s surface, and appears to have struck just north of Maewo, one of the country’s easternmost islands. However, no tsunami warning was issued after the tremors, the US Tsunami Warning System stated.

There have been no reports of damage so far.

This is the island nation’s second major earthquake of the year after a magnitude 7 quake hit Espiritu Santo earlier in January.

The latest tremor comes just three weeks after the region was jolted by a 6.3 magnitude earthquake. In July, a magnitude 6.8 earthquake struck 83 km east of Port-Olry in Vanuatu.

Consisting of dozens of islands and a population of 280,000 people, Vanuatu experiences frequent seismic and volcanic activity as it sits on the Pacific Ring of Fire, where tectonic plates collide.