M5.3 earthquake · 188 km NW of Port-Olry, Vanuatu

▲ Escalating

Dozens of M5+ quakes hit northwest of Port-Olry, Vanuatu, the largest M6.3 on Saturday

A cluster of earthquakes struck off Vanuatu on Saturday, led by a M6.3 at 10 km depth about 170 km NW of Port-Olry, followed by around a dozen more of magnitude 5.0 to 5.9. USGS PAGER alert levels were green for the larger shocks. Separately, a M5.8 was recorded in the Bouvet Island region on Saturday. Earlier in the period, a M5.7 and a M5.2 struck off Italy on Friday.

• The Vanuatu sequence on Saturday included a M6.3, M5.9, and several M5.8 and M5.7 quakes, nearly all at 10 km depth.
• A M5.5 at 195 km depth hit 55 km NNE of Port-Olry on Saturday.
• A M5.8 hit the Bouvet Island region on Saturday, with a green PAGER alert.
• Friday brought a M5.7 and a M5.2 off Italy, and a M5.1 off Japan; repeated M5.0 to M5.3 quakes also struck ENE of Nagqu, China.