M4.8 earthquake 77 km NE of Norsup, Vanuatu
A magnitude 4.8 earthquake struck 77 km NE of Norsup, Vanuatu on Sun, Aug 16, 1981, 8:45 PM GMT+11 (09:45 UTC), 33 km (21 mi) below the surface.
A larger quake followed: M5.0 41 km ESE of Port-Olry, Vanuatu. This one was a foreshock.
Map
Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.
The earthquake
- Magnitude
- 4.8 (mb), light
- Local time
- UTC
- 1981-08-16 09:45:08 UTC
- Depth
- 33.0 km (20.5 mi), shallow
- Epicenter
- 15.569° S, 167.908° 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 1.8 and up: 2 in the 60 days after this one and 2 in the 30 days before it.
After
- 5.041 km ESE of Port-Olry, Vanuatu · 16458 days ago · 130 km deep · 66 km away
- 4.944 km E of Port-Olry, Vanuatu · 16445 days ago · 152 km deep · 79 km away
Before
Earthquakes todayVanuatu earthquakesLive radar here
Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp0001fap. Read Tue, Sep 22, 2026, 6:04 AM UTC.