Vanuatu earthquakes

M5.7 earthquake 60 km W of Port-Vila, Vanuatu

A magnitude 5.7 earthquake struck 60 km W of Port-Vila, Vanuatu on Sat, Aug 18, 1979, 2:18 AM GMT+11 (15:18 UTC), 39 km (24 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M6.0 67 km W of Port-Vila, Vanuatu. This one was a foreshock.

Port-Vila forecast More in Vanuatu

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The earthquake

Magnitude: 5.7 (ms), moderate
Local time: Sat, Aug 18, 1979, 2:18 AM GMT+11
UTC: 1979-08-17 15:18:26 UTC
Depth: 39.0 km (24.2 mi), shallow
Epicenter: 17.654° S, 167.750° 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: 83

Nearest places

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

Port-Vila, VanuatuPopulation 35,901. Forecast60 kmW

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 2.5 and up: 18 in the 60 days after this one and 2 in the 30 days before it.

After

Before

Earthquakes today Vanuatu earthquakes Live radar here

Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp00012g2 (also filed as gcmtb081779c, gcmt19790817151826, atlas19790817151826, iscgem660513). Read Tue, Sep 22, 2026, 11:01 AM UTC.