M3.9 earthquake Vanuatu
A magnitude 3.9 earthquake struck in Vanuatu on Mon, Dec 25, 1978, 6:19 AM GMT+11 (19:19 UTC), 33 km (21 mi) below the surface.
A larger quake followed: M6.2 98 km WNW 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
- 3.9 (mb), minor
- Local time
- UTC
- 1978-12-24 19:19:28 UTC
- Depth
- 33.0 km (20.5 mi), shallow
- Epicenter
- 13.940° S, 166.541° 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.
- Depth from
- OPERATOR_ASSIGNED
- Stations used
- 5
Nearby
Within 100 km, magnitude 1.5 and up: 2 in the 60 days after this one and 2 in the 30 days before it.
After
- 6.298 km WNW of Sola, Vanuatu · 17386 days ago · 60 km deep · 38 km away
- 4.3150 km W of Sola, Vanuatu · 17385 days ago · 33 km deep · 51 km away
Before
Earthquakes todayVanuatu earthquakesLive radar here
Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp0000y3d. Read Wed, Sep 23, 2026, 7:51 AM UTC.