M4.2 earthquake 100 km SSW of Isangel, Vanuatu
A magnitude 4.2 earthquake struck 100 km SSW of Isangel, Vanuatu on Tue, Sep 5, 1978, 7:58 PM GMT+11 (08:58 UTC), 33 km (21 mi) below the surface.
A larger quake followed: M6.0 89 km SW 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
- 4.2 (mb), light
- Local time
- UTC
- 1978-09-05 08:58:18 UTC
- Depth
- 33.0 km (20.5 mi), shallow
- Epicenter
- 20.323° S, 168.793° 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.
- Depth from
- OPERATOR_ASSIGNED
- Stations used
- 20
Nearest places
Distance and direction from each place to the epicenter, with its forecast.
Nearby
Within 100 km, magnitude 1.5 and up: 2 in the 60 days after this one and 1 in the 30 days before it.
After
- 6.089 km SW of Isangel, Vanuatu · 17555 days ago · 36 km deep · 22 km away
- 4.998 km SSE of Isangel, Vanuatu · 17508 days ago · 89 km deep · 82 km away
Before
Earthquakes todayVanuatu earthquakesLive radar here
Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp0000wdb. Read Tue, Sep 29, 2026, 8:20 AM UTC.