M5.0 earthquake 41 km ESE of Port-Olry, Vanuatu
A magnitude 5.0 earthquake struck 41 km ESE of Port-Olry, Vanuatu on Mon, Aug 31, 1981, 9:01 AM GMT+11 (22:01 UTC), 130 km (81 mi) below the surface.
A larger quake followed: M5.1 46 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
- 5.0 (mb), moderate
- Local time
- UTC
- 1981-08-30 22:01:43 UTC
- Depth
- 130.2 km (80.9 mi), intermediate-depth
- Epicenter
- 15.219° S, 167.416° 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.
Nearest places
Distance and direction from each place to the epicenter, with its forecast.
Nearby
Within 100 km, magnitude 2.0 and up: 3 in the 60 days after this one and 1 in the 30 days before it.
After
- 4.944 km E of Port-Olry, Vanuatu · 16445 days ago · 152 km deep · 26 km away
- 5.146 km NE of Port-Olry, Vanuatu · 16436 days ago · 141 km deep · 48 km away
- 4.731 km NE of Port-Olry, Vanuatu · 16412 days ago · 96 km deep · 40 km away
Before
Earthquakes todayVanuatu earthquakesLive radar here
Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp0001fk6. Read Tue, Sep 22, 2026, 7:24 AM UTC.