M4.2 earthquake 191 km N of Sola, Vanuatu
A magnitude 4.2 earthquake struck 191 km N of Sola, Vanuatu on Wed, Dec 30, 1981, 1:33 AM GMT+11 (14:33 UTC), 332 km (206 mi) below the surface.
A larger quake followed: M5.8 178 km SE of Lata, Solomon Islands. This one was a foreshock.
Map
Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.
The earthquake
- Magnitude
- 4.2 (mb), light
- Local time
- UTC
- 1981-12-29 14:33:27 UTC
- Depth
- 331.7 km (206.1 mi), deep
- Epicenter
- 12.176° S, 167.240° 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
Nearby
Within 100 km, magnitude 1.5 and up: 2 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 usp0001hs5. Read Tue, Sep 29, 2026, 9:45 AM UTC.