M4.6 earthquake 40 km W of Port-Vila, Vanuatu
A magnitude 4.6 earthquake struck 40 km W of Port-Vila, Vanuatu on Fri, Dec 11, 1981, 12:24 PM GMT+11 (01:24 UTC), 35 km (22 mi) below the surface.
A larger quake followed: M5.6 72 km NW of Port-Vila, Vanuatu. This one was a foreshock.
Map
Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.
The earthquake
- Magnitude
- 4.6 (mb), light
- Local time
- UTC
- 1981-12-11 01:24:41 UTC
- Depth
- 35.0 km (21.7 mi), shallow
- Epicenter
- 17.745° S, 167.935° 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
- FROM_LOCATION
Nearest places
Distance and direction from each place to the epicenter, with its forecast.
Nearby
Within 100 km, magnitude 1.6 and up: 3 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 usp0001hbr. Read Tue, Sep 22, 2026, 11:14 AM UTC.