Vanuatu earthquakes

M6.0 earthquake 89 km SW of Isangel, Vanuatu

A magnitude 6.0 earthquake struck 89 km SW of Isangel, Vanuatu on Wed, Sep 6, 1978, 3:01 PM GMT+11 (04:01 UTC), 36 km (22 mi) below the surface.

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Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.

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The earthquake

Magnitude
6.0 (ms), strong
Local time
UTC
1978-09-06 04:01:53 UTC
Depth
36.0 km (22.4 mi), shallow
Epicenter
20.143° S, 168.705° 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
119

Nearest places

Distance and direction from each place to the epicenter, with its forecast.

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 3.0 and up: 2 in the 60 days after this one and 2 in the 30 days before it.

After

  1. 5.336 km NW of Isangel, Vanuatu · 17543 days ago · 119 km deep · 98 km away
  2. 4.998 km SSE of Isangel, Vanuatu · 17509 days ago · 89 km deep · 95 km away

Before

  1. 4.2100 km SSW of Isangel, Vanuatu · 17557 days ago · 33 km deep · 22 km away
  2. 5.3133 km S of Isangel, Vanuatu · 17558 days ago · 33 km deep · 97 km away

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Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp0000wdv (also filed as gcmtc090678b, gcmt19780906040153, iscgem676383). Read Wed, Sep 30, 2026, 6:44 AM UTC.