Vanuatu earthquakes

M6.1 earthquake 49 km W of Port-Vila, Vanuatu

A magnitude 6.1 earthquake struck 49 km W of Port-Vila, Vanuatu on Fri, Aug 17, 1979, 11:59 PM GMT+11 (12:59 UTC), 17 km (11 mi) below the surface.

Port-Vila forecastMore in Vanuatu

Map

Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.

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The earthquake

Magnitude
6.1 (ms), strong
Local time
UTC
1979-08-17 12:59:07 UTC
Depth
17.0 km (10.6 mi), shallow
Epicenter
17.715° S, 167.848° E
Region
Vanuatu
Strongest shaking
V, moderate shaking
Tsunami flag
No
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

Shaking

The USGS ShakeMap: shaking estimated from seismic stations and the quake’s size, on the Modified Mercalli intensity scale.

Strongest estimated
V, moderate shaking
Peak ground acceleration
8.3% of gravity
Peak ground velocity
1.8 cm/s
Map
Automatic
USGS ShakeMap: estimated shaking intensity around the epicenter
Estimated shaking intensity. Map: USGS ShakeMap.

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
123

Nearest places

Distance and direction from each place to the epicenter, with its forecast.

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 2.5 and up: 20 in the 60 days after this one and 1 in the 30 days before it.

After

  1. 5.4Vanuatu · 17203 days ago · 23 km deep · 14 km away
  2. 5.760 km W of Port-Vila, Vanuatu · 17203 days ago · 39 km deep · 12 km away
  3. 5.070 km WSW of Port-Vila, Vanuatu · 17203 days ago · 15 km deep · 27 km away
  4. 4.384 km W of Port-Vila, Vanuatu · 17202 days ago · 10 km deep · 35 km away
  5. 4.240 km W of Port-Vila, Vanuatu · 17202 days ago · 33 km deep · 9 km away
  6. 4.370 km W of Port-Vila, Vanuatu · 17202 days ago · 33 km deep · 21 km away
  7. 4.855 km WSW of Port-Vila, Vanuatu · 17202 days ago · 33 km deep · 33 km away
  8. 6.067 km W of Port-Vila, Vanuatu · 17194 days ago · 10 km deep · 18 km away
  9. 4.769 km WNW of Port-Vila, Vanuatu · 17194 days ago · 17 km deep · 22 km away
  10. 5.176 km NW of Port-Vila, Vanuatu · 17194 days ago · 33 km deep · 48 km away
  11. 4.084 km WNW of Port-Vila, Vanuatu · 17194 days ago · 10 km deep · 37 km away
  12. 4.860 km W of Port-Vila, Vanuatu · 17194 days ago · 10 km deep · 12 km away
  13. 4.161 km WNW of Port-Vila, Vanuatu · 17194 days ago · 33 km deep · 17 km away
  14. 4.871 km WNW of Port-Vila, Vanuatu · 17192 days ago · 33 km deep · 36 km away
  15. 4.769 km SSW of Port-Vila, Vanuatu · 17192 days ago · 29 km deep · 71 km away
  16. 4.971 km WNW of Port-Vila, Vanuatu · 17190 days ago · 33 km deep · 24 km away
  17. 5.378 km WNW of Port-Vila, Vanuatu · 17187 days ago · 33 km deep · 31 km away
  18. 4.370 km WNW of Port-Vila, Vanuatu · 17171 days ago · 10 km deep · 23 km away
  19. 5.045 km NNE of Port-Vila, Vanuatu · 17170 days ago · 33 km deep · 77 km away
  20. 3.975 km W of Port-Vila, Vanuatu · 17156 days ago · 35 km deep · 27 km away

Before

  1. 5.389 km S of Port-Vila, Vanuatu · 17206 days ago · 39 km deep · 98 km away

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Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp00012fz (also filed as gcmtb081779b, gcmt19790817125907, atlas19790817125910, iscgem660508). Read Tue, Sep 22, 2026, 9:01 PM UTC.