Magnitude 7.3 earthquake strikes Vanuatu; no tsunami warnings issued

A magnitude 7.3 earthquake struck Vanuatu in the South Pacific on Monday, according to the USGS. No tsunami warnings or advisories were issued.

The earthquake hit at 7:44 p.m. local time (5:44 a.m. ET) and was centered near Espiritu Santo, Vanuatu’s largest island, according to the USGS. It struck at a depth of 116 km (72 mi).

The epicenter was located about 35.4 km (22 mi) northeast of Luganville, a small city of about 18,000 people.

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center (PTWC) did not issue any tsunami warnings or advisories after the earthquake.

According to USGS data, nearly 140,000 people may have experienced strong to very strong shaking, including in Luganville, while the capital of Vanuatu, Port Vila, may have experienced light shaking.

Vanuatu lies in one of the world’s most seismically active regions, where the Australia and Pacific plates converge at high speed. Large earthquakes are common along that subduction zone. According to the USGS, 34 earthquakes of magnitude 7.5 or greater have been recorded there since 1900.