M3.9 earthquake 32 km ENE of Lakatoro, Vanuatu
A magnitude 3.9 earthquake struck 32 km ENE of Lakatoro, Vanuatu on Tue, Dec 19, 1978, 5:28 PM GMT+11 (06:28 UTC), 45 km (28 mi) below the surface.
A larger quake followed: M4.6 46 km NE of Norsup, Vanuatu. This one was a foreshock.
Map
Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.
The earthquake
- Magnitude
- 3.9 (mb), minor
- Local time
- UTC
- 1978-12-19 06:28:46 UTC
- Depth
- 45.0 km (28.0 mi), shallow
- Epicenter
- 15.990° S, 167.700° 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
- 5
Nearest places
Distance and direction from each place to the epicenter, with its forecast.
Nearby
Within 100 km, magnitude 1.5 and up: 4 in the 60 days after this one and 2 in the 30 days before it.
After
- 4.646 km NE of Norsup, Vanuatu · 17435 days ago · 147 km deep · 28 km away
- 4.669 km E of Lakatoro, Vanuatu · 17419 days ago · 231 km deep · 38 km away
- 4.755 km ENE of Lakatoro, Vanuatu · 17392 days ago · 162 km deep · 23 km away
- 5.844 km E of Luganville, Vanuatu · 17387 days ago · 123 km deep · 50 km away
Before
Earthquakes todayVanuatu earthquakesLive radar here
Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp0000xzs. Read Tue, Sep 22, 2026, 10:35 PM UTC.