M4.9 earthquake 131 km SSE of Isangel, Vanuatu
A magnitude 4.9 earthquake struck 131 km SSE of Isangel, Vanuatu on Wed, Mar 29, 1978, 5:48 AM GMT+11 (18:48 UTC), 144 km (89 mi) below the surface.
A larger quake followed: M5.6 159 km SSE of Isangel, Vanuatu. This one was a foreshock.
Map
Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.
The earthquake
- Magnitude
- 4.9 (mb), light
- Local time
- UTC
- 1978-03-28 18:48:48 UTC
- Depth
- 144.0 km (89.5 mi), intermediate-depth
- Epicenter
- 20.634° S, 169.777° 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
- 24
Nearest places
Distance and direction from each place to the epicenter, with its forecast.
Nearby
Within 100 km, magnitude 1.9 and up: 2 in the 60 days after this one and 0 in the 30 days before it.
After
Earthquakes todayVanuatu earthquakesLive radar here
Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp0000ttm. Read Tue, Sep 22, 2026, 9:11 AM UTC.