A strong earthquake measuring 6.3 occurred off the Vanuatu archipelago in the Pacific on Sunday morning, as reported by the U.S. Geological Survey, without triggering a tsunami warning. The earthquake occurred just a few hours after Dutch seismologist Frank Hoogerbeets released what he called “critical planetary alignment” predictions that could lead to several strong earthquakes today and tomorrow.
The earthquake was recorded at a depth of 29 kilometers underwater, about 83 kilometers northwest of the capital of the archipelago, Port Vila. The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center stated that the earthquake, which struck near a sparsely populated group of islands, is not expected to generate high waves. There were no immediate reports of damage in Vanuatu.
Earthquakes are common in Vanuatu, an archipelago with a population of 320,000 located on the “Ring of Fire,” a region known for its intense seismic and volcanic activity stretching from Japan to the Pacific basin through Southeast Asia.
Controversial Dutch seismologist continues to appear again, warning of impending earthquakes that he predicts will occur on Sunday and Monday. The researcher shared a tweet through his account on X yesterday, quoting the astronomical agency SSGEOS he heads, indicating that the planetary alignment involving Mercury and Venus during May 24-25 suggests the potential for a major earthquake, possibly around May 26-27.
He also stated that planetary conjunctions involving Mercury could lead to increased seismic activity overall throughout the week. Shortly after, the Dutch researcher published his astronomical bulletin on his accounts on “X” and “YouTube,” which mentioned: “We will have above-average planetary conjunctions throughout the week. Primarily with Mars. The Sun, Mercury, and Saturn on the 27th. On the 28th, there will be conjunctions between the Sun, Mercury, and Mars. Then on the 30th, the Sun, Mercury, and Neptune. There will also be a conjunction with Earth, Mercury, and Uranus occurring on the 31st, the last day of May.” He noted that this “could lead to significant seismic increases, in the range of 6 degrees, and possibly a 7-degree earthquake.”
