M5.6 earthquake 159 km SSE of Isangel, Vanuatu
A magnitude 5.6 earthquake struck 159 km SSE of Isangel, Vanuatu on Mon, May 15, 1978, 11:36 AM GMT+11 (00:36 UTC), 95 km (59 mi) below the surface.
Map
Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.
The earthquake
- Magnitude
- 5.6 (mb), moderate
- Local time
- UTC
- 1978-05-15 00:36:12 UTC
- Depth
- 95.0 km (59.0 mi), intermediate-depth
- Epicenter
- 20.934° S, 169.672° 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
- 138
Nearest places
Distance and direction from each place to the epicenter, with its forecast.
Nearby
Within 100 km, magnitude 2.5 and up: 0 in the 60 days after this one and 0 in the 30 days before it.
None recorded.
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Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp0000uj6 (also filed as iscgem682266). Read Tue, Sep 22, 2026, 3:34 PM UTC.