M5.2 earthquake 68 km ENE of Lakatoro, Vanuatu
A magnitude 5.2 earthquake struck 68 km ENE of Lakatoro, Vanuatu on Sun, Dec 18, 1977, 3:22 AM GMT+11 (16:22 UTC), 227 km (141 mi) below the surface.
A larger quake followed: M5.4 91 km NE of Norsup, Vanuatu. This one was a foreshock.
Map
Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.
The earthquake
- Magnitude
- 5.2 (mb), moderate
- Local time
- UTC
- 1977-12-17 16:22:54 UTC
- Depth
- 227.0 km (141.1 mi), intermediate-depth
- Epicenter
- 15.849° S, 167.998° 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
- 63
Nearest places
Distance and direction from each place to the epicenter, with its forecast.
Nearby
Within 100 km, magnitude 2.2 and up: 2 in the 60 days after this one and 1 in the 30 days before it.
After
- 4.781 km NE of Norsup, Vanuatu · 17756 days ago · 204 km deep · 25 km away
- 5.491 km NE of Norsup, Vanuatu · 17751 days ago · 33 km deep · 32 km away
Before
Earthquakes todayVanuatu earthquakesLive radar here
Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp0000s49. Read Tue, Sep 22, 2026, 8:06 AM UTC.