M5.3 earthquake 59 km SSW of Isangel, Vanuatu
A magnitude 5.3 earthquake struck 59 km SSW of Isangel, Vanuatu on Thu, May 18, 1978, 3:53 PM GMT+11 (04:53 UTC), 67 km (42 mi) below the surface.
Map
Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.
The earthquake
- Magnitude
- 5.3 (mb), moderate
- Local time
- UTC
- 1978-05-18 04:53:22 UTC
- Depth
- 67.0 km (41.6 mi), shallow
- Epicenter
- 20.067° S, 169.146° 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
- 98
Nearest places
Distance and direction from each place to the epicenter, with its forecast.
Nearby
Within 100 km, magnitude 2.3 and up: 1 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 usp0000ukp (also filed as gcmtb051878a, gcmt19780518045322, iscgem682416). Read Tue, Sep 22, 2026, 10:46 AM UTC.