Magnitude 6.1 earthquake strikes near Santo, Luganville, Sanma Province, VanuatuAccording 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.
Comment: Related: Two shallow earthquakes of 6.9 and 7.0 magnitudes hit off New Caledonia 9 hours apart