M5.0 earthquake 120 km W of Sola, Vanuatu
A magnitude 5.0 earthquake struck 120 km W of Sola, Vanuatu on Wed, Aug 16, 1978, 8:35 PM GMT+11 (09:35 UTC), 34 km (21 mi) below the surface.
A larger quake followed: M6.0 76 km NW of Sola, Vanuatu. This one was a foreshock.
Map
Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.
The earthquake
- Magnitude
- 5.0 (mb), moderate
- Local time
- UTC
- 1978-08-16 09:35:29 UTC
- Depth
- 34.0 km (21.1 mi), shallow
- Epicenter
- 13.675° S, 166.453° 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 2.0 and up: 3 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 usp0000w34. Read Tue, Sep 22, 2026, 10:46 AM UTC.