M4.9 earthquake 99 km SSE of Lakatoro, Vanuatu
A magnitude 4.9 earthquake struck 99 km SSE of Lakatoro, Vanuatu on Tue, May 9, 1978, 5:12 AM GMT+11 (18:12 UTC), 33 km (21 mi) below the surface.
A larger quake followed: M5.1 98 km S of Lakatoro, 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
- 1978-05-08 18:12:00 UTC
- Depth
- 33.0 km (20.5 mi), shallow
- Epicenter
- 16.980° S, 167.620° 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
- 17
Nearest places
Distance and direction from each place to the epicenter, with its forecast.
Nearby
Within 100 km, magnitude 1.9 and up: 5 in the 60 days after this one and 1 in the 30 days before it.
After
- 5.198 km S of Lakatoro, Vanuatu · 17669 days ago · 33 km deep · 3 km away
- 4.6103 km S of Lakatoro, Vanuatu · 17664 days ago · 33 km deep · 13 km away
- 5.399 km S of Lakatoro, Vanuatu · 17664 days ago · 15 km deep · 15 km away
- 5.217 km ESE of Lakatoro, Vanuatu · 17654 days ago · 47 km deep · 94 km away
- 4.997 km ESE of Lakatoro, Vanuatu · 17625 days ago · 80 km deep · 75 km away
Before
Earthquakes todayVanuatu earthquakesLive radar here
Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp0000uey. Read Tue, Sep 22, 2026, 11:02 AM UTC.