Vanuatu earthquakes

M5.3 earthquake 155 km NW of Sola, Vanuatu

A magnitude 5.3 earthquake struck 155 km NW of Sola, Vanuatu on Wed, Oct 15, 1980, 11:29 PM GMT+11 (12:29 UTC), 39 km (24 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M6.2 178 km WNW of Sola, Vanuatu. This one was a foreshock.

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The earthquake

Magnitude
5.3 (mb), moderate
Local time
UTC
1980-10-15 12:29:27 UTC
Depth
39.0 km (24.2 mi), shallow
Epicenter
12.866° S, 166.558° 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
47

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 2.3 and up: 8 in the 60 days after this one and 2 in the 30 days before it.

After

  1. 5.2104 km NW of Sola, Vanuatu · 16773 days ago · 191 km deep · 54 km away
  2. 5.0191 km NW of Sola, Vanuatu · 16771 days ago · 33 km deep · 37 km away
  3. 6.2178 km WNW of Sola, Vanuatu · 16766 days ago · 33 km deep · 51 km away
  4. 4.8210 km WNW of Sola, Vanuatu · 16764 days ago · 86 km deep · 72 km away
  5. 5.1159 km SSE of Lata, Solomon Islands · 16750 days ago · 51 km deep · 91 km away
  6. 5.2200 km NW of Sola, Vanuatu · 16748 days ago · 33 km deep · 46 km away
  7. 4.6101 km NW of Sola, Vanuatu · 16747 days ago · 161 km deep · 58 km away
  8. 5.1190 km NW of Sola, Vanuatu · 16724 days ago · 55 km deep · 37 km away

Before

  1. 4.9186 km NNW of Sola, Vanuatu · 16785 days ago · 33 km deep · 56 km away
  2. 4.876 km NW of Sola, Vanuatu · 16789 days ago · 208 km deep · 80 km away

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Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp0001a94. Read Tue, Sep 22, 2026, 9:43 PM UTC.