The United States Geological Survey recorded a Magnitude 6.3 Earthquake at a depth of 37.2 km, roughly 43 km off the southwest coast of Efate Island, Vanuatu, slightly after 1.30 am local time on Wednesday 24 January 2024 (slightly after 2.30 pm on Tuesday 23 January, GMT). There are no reports of any damage or casualties associated with this event, although people have reported feeling it on Efate Island.
Vanuatu is located on the southwestern fringe of the Pacific Plate, close to its boundary with the Australian Plate, which is being subducted along the New Hebrides Trench, to the west of the islands. The subducting Australian Plate passes under the islands of Vanuatu as it sinks into the Earth, causing Earthquakes as the plates stick together then break apart as the pressure builds up. As the plate sinks further it is partially melted by the heat of the friction combined with that of the Earth's interior. Some of the melted material then rises through the overlying Pacific Plate, fuelling the volcanoes of Vanuatu.
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