Vanuatu earthquakes

M7.0 earthquake 92 km NW of Port-Vila, Vanuatu

A magnitude 7.0 earthquake struck 92 km NW of Port-Vila, Vanuatu on Wed, Jul 15, 1981, 6:59 PM GMT+11 (07:59 UTC), 30 km (19 mi) below the surface.

Port-Vila forecast More in Vanuatu

Map

Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.

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The earthquake

Magnitude: 7.0 (ms), major
Local time: Wed, Jul 15, 1981, 6:59 PM GMT+11
UTC: 1981-07-15 07:59:08 UTC
Depth: 30.0 km (18.6 mi), shallow
Epicenter: 17.260° S, 167.601° E
Region: Vanuatu
Strongest shaking: V, moderate shaking
Tsunami flag: No
Status: Reviewed by a seismologist

Shaking

The USGS ShakeMap: shaking estimated from seismic stations and the quake’s size, on the Modified Mercalli intensity scale.

Strongest estimated: V, moderate shaking
Peak ground acceleration: 8.4% of gravity
Peak ground velocity: 2.2 cm/s
Map: Automatic

USGS ShakeMap: estimated shaking intensity around the epicenter — Estimated shaking intensity. Map: USGS ShakeMap.

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: CONSTRAINED_BY_DEPTH_PHASES

Nearest places

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

Port-Vila, VanuatuPopulation 35,901. Forecast92 kmNW

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 4.0 and up: 67 in the 60 days after this one and 2 in the 30 days before it.

After

The first 60 of 67.

Before

Earthquakes today Vanuatu earthquakes Live radar here

Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp0001eq4 (also filed as gcmtc071581a, gcmt19810715075908, atlas19810715075908, iscgem623688). Read Tue, Sep 29, 2026, 8:57 AM UTC.