Vanuatu earthquakes

M5.9 earthquake 44 km W of Norsup, Vanuatu

A magnitude 5.9 earthquake struck 44 km W of Norsup, Vanuatu on Fri, Aug 13, 1965, 10:24 PM GMT+11 (11:24 UTC), 24 km (15 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M7.4 43 km W of Norsup, Vanuatu. This one was a foreshock.

Port-Vila forecastMore in Vanuatu

Map

Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.

Open the live map with earthquakes

The earthquake

Magnitude
5.9 (mw), moderate
Local time
UTC
1965-08-13 11:24:53 UTC
Depth
23.8 km (14.8 mi), shallow
Epicenter
16.005° S, 166.990° E
Region
Vanuatu
Strongest shaking
V, moderate shaking
Tsunami flag
No
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

Shaking

The USGS ShakeMap: shaking estimated from seismic stations and the quake’s size, on the Modified Mercalli intensity scale.

Strongest estimated
V, moderate shaking
Peak ground acceleration
11.1% of gravity
Peak ground velocity
2.1 cm/s
Map
Automatic
USGS ShakeMap: estimated shaking intensity around the epicenter
Estimated shaking intensity. Map: USGS ShakeMap.

Did you feel it?

No one has reported feeling this quake to the USGS.

How well it is located

Reviewed by a seismologist.

Magnitude uncertainty
±0.20
Depth from
From location

Nearest places

Distance and direction from each place to the epicenter, with its forecast.

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 2.5 and up: 7 in the 60 days after this one and 8 in the 30 days before it.

After

  1. 5.644 km SW of Luganville, Vanuatu · 22320 days ago · 21 km deep · 18 km away
  2. 7.443 km W of Norsup, Vanuatu · 22320 days ago · 30 km deep · 13 km away
  3. 6.263 km SSE of Lakatoro, Vanuatu · 22320 days ago · 46 km deep · 97 km away
  4. 6.043 km SW of Luganville, Vanuatu · 22319 days ago · 17 km deep · 24 km away
  5. 5.741 km WSW of Port-Olry, Vanuatu · 22316 days ago · 34 km deep · 94 km away
  6. 6.241 km W of Norsup, Vanuatu · 22315 days ago · 25 km deep · 3 km away
  7. 5.939 km ESE of Luganville, Vanuatu · 22304 days ago · 10 km deep · 61 km away

Before

  1. 5.717 km ENE of Norsup, Vanuatu · 22321 days ago · 48 km deep · 58 km away
  2. 5.917 km NNE of Norsup, Vanuatu · 22321 days ago · 38 km deep · 52 km away
  3. 6.926 km N of Norsup, Vanuatu · 22321 days ago · 48 km deep · 52 km away
  4. 7.631 km S of Luganville, Vanuatu · 22322 days ago · 48 km deep · 30 km away
  5. 6.026 km SSE of Luganville, Vanuatu · 22322 days ago · 30 km deep · 41 km away
  6. 6.922 km S of Luganville, Vanuatu · 22322 days ago · 31 km deep · 35 km away
  7. 5.817 km SE of Luganville, Vanuatu · 22322 days ago · 21 km deep · 50 km away
  8. 7.221 km WNW of Luganville, Vanuatu · 22323 days ago · 18 km deep · 60 km away

Earthquakes todayVanuatu earthquakesLive radar here

Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event iscgem854550. Read Tue, Sep 22, 2026, 5:24 PM UTC.