Vanuatu earthquakes

M5.1 earthquake 76 km NW of Port-Vila, Vanuatu

A magnitude 5.1 earthquake struck 76 km NW of Port-Vila, Vanuatu on Mon, Aug 27, 1979, 3:56 AM GMT+11 (16:56 UTC), 33 km (21 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M5.3 78 km WNW of Port-Vila, Vanuatu. This one was a foreshock.

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
5.1 (mb), moderate
Local time
UTC
1979-08-26 16:56:12 UTC
Depth
33.0 km (20.5 mi), shallow
Epicenter
17.292° S, 167.759° 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
20

Nearest places

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

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 2.1 and up: 10 in the 60 days after this one and 10 in the 30 days before it.

After

  1. 4.084 km WNW of Port-Vila, Vanuatu · 17194 days ago · 10 km deep · 38 km away
  2. 4.860 km W of Port-Vila, Vanuatu · 17194 days ago · 10 km deep · 41 km away
  3. 4.161 km WNW of Port-Vila, Vanuatu · 17193 days ago · 33 km deep · 34 km away
  4. 4.871 km WNW of Port-Vila, Vanuatu · 17192 days ago · 33 km deep · 13 km away
  5. 4.971 km WNW of Port-Vila, Vanuatu · 17190 days ago · 33 km deep · 35 km away
  6. 5.378 km WNW of Port-Vila, Vanuatu · 17187 days ago · 33 km deep · 38 km away
  7. 4.370 km WNW of Port-Vila, Vanuatu · 17170 days ago · 10 km deep · 35 km away
  8. 5.045 km NNE of Port-Vila, Vanuatu · 17170 days ago · 33 km deep · 76 km away
  9. 3.975 km W of Port-Vila, Vanuatu · 17156 days ago · 35 km deep · 42 km away
  10. 3.980 km WNW of Port-Vila, Vanuatu · 17139 days ago · 33 km deep · 28 km away

Before

  1. 4.769 km WNW of Port-Vila, Vanuatu · 17194 days ago · 17 km deep · 37 km away
  2. 6.067 km W of Port-Vila, Vanuatu · 17194 days ago · 10 km deep · 43 km away
  3. 4.855 km WSW of Port-Vila, Vanuatu · 17201 days ago · 33 km deep · 81 km away
  4. 4.370 km W of Port-Vila, Vanuatu · 17202 days ago · 33 km deep · 45 km away
  5. 4.240 km W of Port-Vila, Vanuatu · 17202 days ago · 33 km deep · 53 km away
  6. 4.384 km W of Port-Vila, Vanuatu · 17202 days ago · 10 km deep · 51 km away
  7. 5.070 km WSW of Port-Vila, Vanuatu · 17203 days ago · 15 km deep · 68 km away
  8. 5.760 km W of Port-Vila, Vanuatu · 17203 days ago · 39 km deep · 40 km away
  9. 5.4Vanuatu · 17203 days ago · 23 km deep · 48 km away
  10. 6.149 km W of Port-Vila, Vanuatu · 17203 days ago · 17 km deep · 48 km away

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Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp00012n2. Read Tue, Sep 22, 2026, 9:15 AM UTC.