M6.4 earthquake 196 km SSE of Isangel, Vanuatu
A magnitude 6.4 earthquake struck 196 km SSE of Isangel, Vanuatu on Wed, May 2, 1979, 12:03 AM GMT+11 (13:03 UTC), 79 km (49 mi) below the surface.
Map
Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.
The earthquake
- Magnitude
- 6.4 (mb, body-wave), strong
- Magnitude from
- USGS National Earthquake Information Center
- Local time
- UTC
- 1979-05-01 13:03:37 UTC
- Depth
- 79.0 km (49.1 mi), intermediate-depth
- Epicenter
- 21.244° S, 169.798° E
- Region
- Vanuatu
- Strongest shaking
- VII, very strong shaking
- Tsunami flag
- No
- Status
- Reviewed by a seismologist
Magnitude estimates
Different scales measure different things and differ by a few tenths. The USGS marks one as preferred, and it is the one this page uses.
| Mag. | Scale | Computed by | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6.4 | mb, body-wave | USGS National Earthquake Information Center | Preferred · Reviewed |
| 7.37 | Mw, moment | ISC-GEM global catalog | Final · ±0.1 |
| 7.4 | Mwc, centroid moment | Global CMT project | Preliminary |
Shaking
The USGS ShakeMap: shaking estimated from seismic stations and the quake’s size, on the Modified Mercalli intensity scale.
- Strongest estimated
- VII, very strong shaking
- Map
- Automatic
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
- 137
Nearest places
Distance and direction from each place to the epicenter, with its forecast.
Nearby
Within 100 km, magnitude 3.4 and up: 2 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 usp00010d8 (also filed as gcmtd050179a, gcmt19790501130337, iscgem664391, atlas19790501130340). Read Fri, Oct 2, 2026, 6:37 AM UTC.