M6.2 earthquake 98 km WNW of Sola, Vanuatu
A magnitude 6.2 earthquake struck 98 km WNW of Sola, Vanuatu on Fri, Feb 16, 1979, 11:31 AM GMT+11 (00:31 UTC), 60 km (37 mi) below the surface.
Map
Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.
The earthquake
- Magnitude
- 6.2 (mb), strong
- Local time
- UTC
- 1979-02-16 00:31:16 UTC
- Depth
- 60.0 km (37.3 mi), shallow
- Epicenter
- 13.626° S, 166.675° 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
- 7.6% of gravity
- Peak ground velocity
- 1.3 cm/s
- Map
- Automatic
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
- 235
Nearby
Within 100 km, magnitude 2.5 and up: 4 in the 60 days after this one and 1 in the 30 days before it.
After
- 4.3150 km W of Sola, Vanuatu · 17385 days ago · 33 km deep · 53 km away
- 4.8135 km NW of Sola, Vanuatu · 17358 days ago · 122 km deep · 69 km away
- 5.064 km SW of Sola, Vanuatu · 17342 days ago · 197 km deep · 83 km away
- 5.0165 km W of Sola, Vanuatu · 17340 days ago · 33 km deep · 68 km away
Before
Earthquakes todayVanuatu earthquakesLive radar here
Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp0000yvm (also filed as gcmtc021679b, gcmt19790216003116, iscgem669814). Read Tue, Sep 22, 2026, 9:10 AM UTC.