M5.2 earthquake 43 km E of Port-Vila, Vanuatu
A magnitude 5.2 earthquake struck 43 km E of Port-Vila, Vanuatu on Wed, Dec 13, 1978, 4:14 AM GMT+11 (17:14 UTC), 217 km (135 mi) below the surface.
A larger quake followed: M5.3 55 km WNW 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
- 5.2 (mb), moderate
- Local time
- UTC
- 1978-12-12 17:14:48 UTC
- Depth
- 217.0 km (134.8 mi), intermediate-depth
- Epicenter
- 17.749° S, 168.722° 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
- 125
Nearest places
Distance and direction from each place to the epicenter, with its forecast.
Nearby
Within 100 km, magnitude 2.2 and up: 1 in the 60 days after this one and 1 in the 30 days before it.
After
Before
Earthquakes todayVanuatu earthquakesLive radar here
Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp0000xwt. Read Tue, Sep 22, 2026, 9:11 AM UTC.