Vanuatu earthquakes

M4.5 earthquake 78 km S of Lakatoro, Vanuatu

A magnitude 4.5 earthquake struck 78 km S of Lakatoro, Vanuatu on Tue, Aug 11, 1981, 11:07 PM GMT+11 (12:07 UTC), 33 km (21 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M4.6 94 km S of Lakatoro, 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
4.5 (mb), light
Local time
UTC
1981-08-11 12:07:29 UTC
Depth
33.0 km (20.5 mi), shallow
Epicenter
16.801° S, 167.278° 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

Nearest places

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

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 1.5 and up: 3 in the 60 days after this one and 62 in the 30 days before it.

After

  1. 4.694 km S of Lakatoro, Vanuatu · 16437 days ago · 33 km deep · 16 km away
  2. 4.374 km NW of Port-Vila, Vanuatu · 16432 days ago · 33 km deep · 78 km away
  3. 4.873 km S of Lakatoro, Vanuatu · 16424 days ago · 33 km deep · 24 km away

Before

  1. 4.5114 km WNW of Port-Vila, Vanuatu · 16480 days ago · 33 km deep · 43 km away
  2. 5.0105 km S of Lakatoro, Vanuatu · 16480 days ago · 33 km deep · 27 km away
  3. 4.6106 km S of Lakatoro, Vanuatu · 16480 days ago · 33 km deep · 28 km away
  4. 5.084 km S of Lakatoro, Vanuatu · 16490 days ago · 33 km deep · 16 km away
  5. 4.5126 km W of Port-Vila, Vanuatu · 16491 days ago · 33 km deep · 92 km away
  6. 5.078 km SSW of Lakatoro, Vanuatu · 16491 days ago · 33 km deep · 17 km away
  7. 4.898 km S of Lakatoro, Vanuatu · 16492 days ago · 33 km deep · 38 km away
  8. 4.485 km WNW of Port-Vila, Vanuatu · 16494 days ago · 33 km deep · 75 km away
  9. 5.050 km E of Lakatoro, Vanuatu · 16495 days ago · 191 km deep · 97 km away
  10. 4.681 km SSW of Lakatoro, Vanuatu · 16495 days ago · 33 km deep · 11 km away
  11. 4.7128 km WNW of Port-Vila, Vanuatu · 16498 days ago · 33 km deep · 66 km away
  12. 4.5117 km S of Lakatoro, Vanuatu · 16498 days ago · 33 km deep · 40 km away
  13. 4.5109 km NW of Port-Vila, Vanuatu · 16498 days ago · 27 km deep · 42 km away
  14. 4.795 km WNW of Port-Vila, Vanuatu · 16498 days ago · 21 km deep · 62 km away
  15. 4.5109 km W of Port-Vila, Vanuatu · 16498 days ago · 33 km deep · 83 km away
  16. 4.3133 km W of Port-Vila, Vanuatu · 16500 days ago · 33 km deep · 87 km away
  17. 4.9143 km SSW of Lakatoro, Vanuatu · 16500 days ago · 22 km deep · 66 km away
  18. 4.5126 km SSW of Lakatoro, Vanuatu · 16500 days ago · 33 km deep · 51 km away
  19. 4.787 km S of Lakatoro, Vanuatu · 16500 days ago · 30 km deep · 12 km away
  20. 5.1132 km SSW of Lakatoro, Vanuatu · 16501 days ago · 27 km deep · 54 km away

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Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp0001f7f. Read Tue, Sep 22, 2026, 3:49 PM UTC.