M4.6 earthquake 75 km SW of Luganville, Vanuatu
A magnitude 4.6 earthquake struck 75 km SW of Luganville, Vanuatu on Sun, Aug 9, 1981, 9:57 PM GMT+11 (10:57 UTC), 33 km (21 mi) below the surface.
Map
Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.
The earthquake
- Magnitude
- 4.6 (mb), light
- Local time
- UTC
- 1981-08-09 10:57:48 UTC
- Depth
- 33.0 km (20.5 mi), shallow
- Epicenter
- 15.982° S, 166.650° 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 1.6 and up: 0 in the 60 days after this one and 1 in the 30 days before it.
Before
Earthquakes todayVanuatu earthquakesLive radar here
Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp0001f6f. Read Tue, Sep 22, 2026, 9:13 AM UTC.