M5.0 earthquake 18 km NE of Port-Olry, Vanuatu
A magnitude 5.0 earthquake struck 18 km NE of Port-Olry, Vanuatu on Tue, Dec 25, 1979, 12:48 PM GMT+11 (01:48 UTC), 112 km (70 mi) below the surface.
A larger quake followed: M5.5 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
- 1979-12-25 01:48:04 UTC
- Depth
- 112.0 km (69.6 mi), intermediate-depth
- Epicenter
- 14.912° S, 167.186° 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
- 31
Nearest places
Distance and direction from each place to the epicenter, with its forecast.
Nearby
Within 100 km, magnitude 2.0 and up: 5 in the 60 days after this one and 0 in the 30 days before it.
After
- 5.5Vanuatu · 17058 days ago · 165 km deep · 25 km away
- 3.572 km WSW of Port-Olry, Vanuatu · 17044 days ago · 33 km deep · 89 km away
- 4.926 km E of Luganville, Vanuatu · 17025 days ago · 129 km deep · 69 km away
- 3.918 km E of Port-Olry, Vanuatu · 17018 days ago · 112 km deep · 13 km away
- 5.5103 km E of Port-Olry, Vanuatu · 17018 days ago · 33 km deep · 91 km away
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Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp00014ph. Read Tue, Sep 22, 2026, 11:13 AM UTC.