M4.2 earthquake 17 km WNW of Port-Olry, Vanuatu
A magnitude 4.2 earthquake struck 17 km WNW of Port-Olry, Vanuatu on Thu, Jan 15, 1981, 6:55 AM GMT+11 (19:55 UTC), 113 km (70 mi) below the surface.
A larger quake followed: M4.9 48 km NE 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
- 4.2 (mb, body-wave), light
- Magnitude from
- USGS National Earthquake Information Center
- Local time
- UTC
- 1981-01-14 19:55:13 UTC
- Depth
- 113.0 km (70.2 mi), intermediate-depth
- Epicenter
- 14.989° S, 166.919° 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
- 22
Nearest places
Distance and direction from each place to the epicenter, with its forecast.
Nearby
Within 100 km, magnitude 1.5 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 usp0001bqq. Read Fri, Oct 2, 2026, 4:11 PM UTC.