M5.1 earthquake Vanuatu
A magnitude 5.1 earthquake struck in Vanuatu on Mon, Dec 20, 1976, 9:04 PM GMT+11 (10:04 UTC), 33 km (21 mi) below the surface.
A larger quake followed: M5.6 52 km NE of Port-Vila, Vanuatu. This one was a foreshock.
Map
Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.
The earthquake
- Magnitude
- 5.1 (mb), moderate
- Local time
- UTC
- 1976-12-20 10:04:19 UTC
- Depth
- 33.0 km (20.5 mi), shallow
- Epicenter
- 17.409° S, 167.834° E
- Region
- Vanuatu
- Tsunami flag
- No
- Status
- Reviewed by a seismologist
Did you feel it?
No one has reported feeling this quake to the USGS.
How well it is located
Reviewed by a seismologist.
- Stations used
- 13
Nearest places
Distance and direction from each place to the epicenter, with its forecast.
Nearby
Within 100 km, magnitude 2.1 and up: 6 in the 60 days after this one and 1 in the 30 days before it.
After
- 4.768 km WNW of Port-Vila, Vanuatu · 18161 days ago · 33 km deep · 17 km away
- 4.768 km WNW of Port-Vila, Vanuatu · 18161 days ago · 33 km deep · 17 km away
- 5.059 km NW of Port-Vila, Vanuatu · 18138 days ago · 38 km deep · 11 km away
- 5.063 km NW of Port-Vila, Vanuatu · 18136 days ago · 25 km deep · 6 km away
- 5.652 km NE of Port-Vila, Vanuatu · 18134 days ago · 14 km deep · 91 km away
- 5.055 km NE of Port-Vila, Vanuatu · 18134 days ago · 16 km deep · 91 km away
Before
Earthquakes todayVanuatu earthquakesLive radar here
Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp0000kut. Read Wed, Sep 23, 2026, 1:48 AM UTC.