The alert was issued as many in the region were still on edge from a devastating tsunami that struck Samoa and nearby Tonga just 10 days earlier.
Residents and tourists across Vanuatu fled to higher ground following Thursday’s strong shaking, which occurred 180 miles northwest of the island of Santo.
The Honolulu-based Pacific Tsunami Warning Center immediately issued a regional tsunami warning for 11 nations and territories, and a lower-level tsunami watch as far away as Australia and Hawaii.
All warnings were canceled two hours later after it was determined that only a very small rise in ocean level had been created by the most powerful quake.
There were no reports of significant damage or injuries in Vanuatu.