M4.6 earthquake 103 km S of Lakatoro, Vanuatu
A magnitude 4.6 earthquake struck 103 km S of Lakatoro, Vanuatu on Sat, May 13, 1978, 2:34 PM GMT+11 (03:34 UTC), 33 km (21 mi) below the surface.
A larger quake followed: M5.3 99 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
- 4.6 (mb, body-wave), light
- Magnitude from
- USGS National Earthquake Information Center
- Local time
- UTC
- 1978-05-13 03:34:06 UTC
- Depth
- 33.0 km (20.5 mi), shallow
- Epicenter
- 17.030° S, 167.510° 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
- 19
Nearest places
Distance and direction from each place to the epicenter, with its forecast.
Nearby
Within 100 km, magnitude 1.6 and up: 3 in the 60 days after this one and 3 in the 30 days before it.
After
- 5.399 km S of Lakatoro, Vanuatu · 17673 days ago · 15 km deep · 5 km away
- 5.217 km ESE of Lakatoro, Vanuatu · 17663 days ago · 47 km deep · 99 km away
- 4.997 km ESE of Lakatoro, Vanuatu · 17633 days ago · 80 km deep · 88 km away
Before
Earthquakes todayVanuatu earthquakesLive radar here
Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp0000uh9. Read Thu, Oct 1, 2026, 8:33 AM UTC.