Vanuatu earthquakes

M3.8 earthquake 120 km W of Port-Vila, Vanuatu

A magnitude 3.8 earthquake struck 120 km W of Port-Vila, Vanuatu on Sun, Jul 26, 1981, 5:43 PM GMT+11 (06:43 UTC), 33 km (21 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M5.0 105 km S of Lakatoro, Vanuatu. This one was a foreshock.

Port-Vila forecastMore in Vanuatu

Map

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

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The earthquake

Magnitude
3.8 (mb, body-wave), minor
Magnitude from
USGS National Earthquake Information Center
Local time
UTC
1981-07-26 06:43:10 UTC
Depth
33.0 km (20.5 mi), shallow
Epicenter
17.908° S, 167.190° 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 1.5 and up: 5 in the 60 days after this one and 54 in the 30 days before it.

After

  1. 4.485 km WNW of Port-Vila, Vanuatu · 16503 days ago · 33 km deep · 69 km away
  2. 4.5126 km W of Port-Vila, Vanuatu · 16500 days ago · 33 km deep · 33 km away
  3. 4.6106 km S of Lakatoro, Vanuatu · 16489 days ago · 33 km deep · 96 km away
  4. 5.0105 km S of Lakatoro, Vanuatu · 16489 days ago · 33 km deep · 97 km away
  5. 4.5114 km WNW of Port-Vila, Vanuatu · 16489 days ago · 33 km deep · 85 km away

Before

  1. 4.7128 km WNW of Port-Vila, Vanuatu · 16507 days ago · 33 km deep · 58 km away
  2. 4.5117 km S of Lakatoro, Vanuatu · 16507 days ago · 33 km deep · 85 km away
  3. 4.5109 km NW of Port-Vila, Vanuatu · 16507 days ago · 27 km deep · 98 km away
  4. 4.795 km WNW of Port-Vila, Vanuatu · 16507 days ago · 21 km deep · 75 km away
  5. 4.5109 km W of Port-Vila, Vanuatu · 16507 days ago · 33 km deep · 42 km away
  6. 4.3133 km W of Port-Vila, Vanuatu · 16508 days ago · 33 km deep · 41 km away
  7. 4.9143 km SSW of Lakatoro, Vanuatu · 16509 days ago · 22 km deep · 66 km away
  8. 4.5126 km SSW of Lakatoro, Vanuatu · 16509 days ago · 33 km deep · 85 km away
  9. 5.1132 km SSW of Lakatoro, Vanuatu · 16510 days ago · 27 km deep · 74 km away
  10. 5.5106 km NW of Port-Vila, Vanuatu · 16510 days ago · 46 km deep · 92 km away
  11. 4.691 km NW of Port-Vila, Vanuatu · 16511 days ago · 33 km deep · 89 km away
  12. 4.1Vanuatu · 16511 days ago · 33 km deep · 80 km away
  13. 4.796 km NW of Port-Vila, Vanuatu · 16511 days ago · 33 km deep · 87 km away
  14. 4.7112 km WNW of Port-Vila, Vanuatu · 16511 days ago · 33 km deep · 47 km away
  15. 4.8119 km S of Lakatoro, Vanuatu · 16511 days ago · 33 km deep · 82 km away
  16. 4.6121 km S of Lakatoro, Vanuatu · 16512 days ago · 33 km deep · 80 km away
  17. 4.7121 km S of Lakatoro, Vanuatu · 16512 days ago · 33 km deep · 81 km away
  18. 5.0106 km WNW of Port-Vila, Vanuatu · 16512 days ago · 33 km deep · 58 km away
  19. 4.686 km WNW of Port-Vila, Vanuatu · 16512 days ago · 33 km deep · 71 km away
  20. 4.665 km W of Port-Vila, Vanuatu · 16512 days ago · 33 km deep · 56 km away

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Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp0001ey4. Read Thu, Oct 1, 2026, 10:59 AM UTC.