M5.1 earthquake 45 km S of Port-Vila, Vanuatu
A magnitude 5.1 earthquake struck 45 km S of Port-Vila, Vanuatu on Wed, Dec 5, 1979, 7:53 PM GMT+11 (08:53 UTC), 48 km (30 mi) below the surface.
A larger quake followed: M5.2 63 km WNW of Port-Vila, Vanuatu. This one was a foreshock.
Map
Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.
The earthquake
- Magnitude
- 5.1 (mb), moderate
- Local time
- UTC
- 1979-12-05 08:53:54 UTC
- Depth
- 48.0 km (29.8 mi), shallow
- Epicenter
- 18.148° S, 168.305° 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
- 19
Nearest places
Distance and direction from each place to the epicenter, with its forecast.
Nearby
Within 100 km, magnitude 2.1 and up: 5 in the 60 days after this one and 0 in the 30 days before it.
After
- 4.764 km WNW of Port-Vila, Vanuatu · 17084 days ago · 23 km deep · 94 km away
- 5.263 km WNW of Port-Vila, Vanuatu · 17083 days ago · 19 km deep · 94 km away
- 4.842 km SW of Port-Vila, Vanuatu · 17079 days ago · 33 km deep · 25 km away
- 5.068 km SW of Port-Vila, Vanuatu · 17074 days ago · 26 km deep · 41 km away
- 4.826 km WSW of Port-Vila, Vanuatu · 17066 days ago · 61 km deep · 41 km away
Earthquakes todayVanuatu earthquakesLive radar here
Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp00014bf. Read Tue, Sep 22, 2026, 9:31 PM UTC.