Vanuatu earthquakes

M5.1 earthquake 111 km WNW of Sola, Vanuatu

A magnitude 5.1 earthquake struck 111 km WNW of Sola, Vanuatu on Sun, Apr 26, 1981, 1:33 AM GMT+11 (14:33 UTC), 33 km (21 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M5.5 134 km WNW of Sola, Vanuatu. This one was a foreshock.

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The earthquake

Magnitude
5.1 (mb), moderate
Local time
UTC
1981-04-25 14:33:30 UTC
Depth
33.0 km (20.5 mi), shallow
Epicenter
13.518° S, 166.590° 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

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 2.1 and up: 17 in the 60 days after this one and 9 in the 30 days before it.

After

Before

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Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp0001dbu. Read Tue, Sep 22, 2026, 9:36 AM UTC.