M4.9 earthquake 89 km S of Lakatoro, Vanuatu
A magnitude 4.9 earthquake struck 89 km S of Lakatoro, Vanuatu on Wed, Aug 23, 1978, 5:22 AM GMT+11 (18:22 UTC), 18 km (11 mi) below the surface.
A larger quake followed: M5.9 48 km NW of Port-Vila, 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
- 1978-08-22 18:22:34 UTC
- Depth
- 18.0 km (11.2 mi), shallow
- Epicenter
- 16.908° S, 167.505° 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
- 35
Nearest places
Distance and direction from each place to the epicenter, with its forecast.
Nearby
Within 100 km, magnitude 1.9 and up: 4 in the 60 days after this one and 0 in the 30 days before it.
After
- 5.948 km NW of Port-Vila, Vanuatu · 17553 days ago · 32 km deep · 77 km away
- 4.851 km WNW of Port-Vila, Vanuatu · 17553 days ago · 29 km deep · 77 km away
- 5.050 km WNW of Port-Vila, Vanuatu · 17545 days ago · 27 km deep · 78 km away
- 5.052 km NW of Port-Vila, Vanuatu · 17526 days ago · 33 km deep · 75 km away
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Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp0000w5q. Read Tue, Sep 22, 2026, 11:02 AM UTC.