M4.6 earthquake 46 km NE of Norsup, Vanuatu
A magnitude 4.6 earthquake struck 46 km NE of Norsup, Vanuatu on Fri, Dec 29, 1978, 2:06 AM GMT+11 (15:06 UTC), 147 km (91 mi) below the surface.
A larger quake followed: M4.7 55 km ENE 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), light
- Local time
- UTC
- 1978-12-28 15:06:57 UTC
- Depth
- 147.0 km (91.3 mi), intermediate-depth
- Epicenter
- 15.742° S, 167.669° 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
- 33
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
- 4.669 km E of Lakatoro, Vanuatu · 17419 days ago · 231 km deep · 52 km away
- 4.755 km ENE of Lakatoro, Vanuatu · 17391 days ago · 162 km deep · 36 km away
- 5.844 km E of Luganville, Vanuatu · 17387 days ago · 123 km deep · 23 km away
Before
Earthquakes todayVanuatu earthquakesLive radar here
Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp0000y5j. Read Tue, Sep 22, 2026, 10:26 AM UTC.