Very strong magnitude 6.3 earthquake at 10 km depth
9 Apr 20:59 UTC: First to report: VolcanoDiscovery after 7 minutes.
9 Apr 21:00: Now using data updates from GFZ
... [show all] ...9 Apr 21:02: Epicenter location corrected by 1.5 km (1 mi) towards NW.
9 Apr 21:11: Now using data updates from USGS
9 Apr 21:31: Magnitude recalculated from 6.2 to 6.3.
Update Sat, 9 Apr 2022, 21:06
Magnitude 6.1 earthquake strikes near Santo, Luganville, Sanma Province, Vanuatu

6.1 quake 10 Apr 7:52 am (GMT +11)
An earthquake of magnitude 6.1 occurred in the morning on Sunday, April 10th, 2022, at 7:52 am local time near Santo, Luganville, Sanma Province, Vanuatu, as reported by the German Research Centre for Geosciences (GFZ).
According to preliminary data, the quake was located at a shallow depth of 10 km. Shallow earthquakes are felt more strongly than deeper ones as they are closer to the surface. The exact magnitude, epicenter, and depth of the quake might be revised within the next few hours or minutes as seismologists review data and refine their calculations, or as other agencies issue their report.
A second report was later issued by the citizen-seismograph network of RaspberryShake, which listed it as a magnitude 6.1 earthquake as well. Other agencies reporting the same quake include the European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC) at magnitude 6.3, and France's Réseau National de Surveillance Sismique (RéNaSS) at magnitude 5.7.
Generally quakes of this magnitude are recorded by more than one agency and the results can vary, with subsequent reports that come in after the first one often showing more accuracy.
Based on the preliminary seismic data, the quake was probably felt by many people in the area of the epicenter. It should not have caused significant damage, other than objects falling from shelves, broken windows, etc.
In Norsup (pop. 3,000) located 76 km from the epicenter, Santo (pop. 13,400) 91 km away, and Port-Olry (pop. 2,000) 136 km away, the quake should have been felt as light shaking.
VolcanoDiscovery will automatically update magnitude and depth if these change and follow up if other significant news about the quake become available. If you're in the area, please send us your experience through our reporting mechanism, either
online or via
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