M5.3 earthquake 70 km NNW of Sola, Vanuatu
A magnitude 5.3 earthquake struck 70 km NNW of Sola, Vanuatu on Fri, Jul 20, 1979, 11:49 PM GMT+11 (12:49 UTC), 36 km (22 mi) below the surface.
Map
Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.
The earthquake
- Magnitude
- 5.3 (mb), moderate
- Local time
- UTC
- 1979-07-20 12:49:31 UTC
- Depth
- 36.0 km (22.4 mi), shallow
- Epicenter
- 13.270° S, 167.351° 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
- 101
Nearby
Within 100 km, magnitude 2.3 and up: 2 in the 60 days after this one and 0 in the 30 days before it.
After
Earthquakes todayVanuatu earthquakesLive radar here
Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp00011yu (also filed as gcmtb072079b, gcmt19790720124931, iscgem662063). Read Tue, Sep 22, 2026, 8:59 PM UTC.