Vanuatu earthquakes

M4.7 earthquake 43 km SW of Sola, Vanuatu

A magnitude 4.7 earthquake struck 43 km SW of Sola, Vanuatu on Thu, Mar 30, 1978, 10:57 PM GMT+11 (11:57 UTC), 181 km (112 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M5.2 33 km NE of Port-Olry, Vanuatu. This one was a foreshock.

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The earthquake

Magnitude
4.7 (mb), light
Local time
UTC
1978-03-30 11:57:35 UTC
Depth
181.0 km (112.5 mi), intermediate-depth
Epicenter
14.163° S, 167.272° 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
34

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 1.7 and up: 6 in the 60 days after this one and 0 in the 30 days before it.

After

Earthquakes todayVanuatu earthquakesLive radar here

Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp0000tuq. Read Tue, Sep 22, 2026, 10:00 AM UTC.