Vanuatu earthquakes

M5.0 earthquake 130 km NW of Port-Olry, Vanuatu

A magnitude 5.0 earthquake struck 130 km NW of Port-Olry, Vanuatu on Tue, Dec 17, 1985, 4:37 AM GMT+11 (17:37 UTC), 33 km (21 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M7.1 112 km W of Sola, Vanuatu. This one was a foreshock.

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

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The earthquake

Magnitude
5.0 (mb), moderate
Local time
UTC
1985-12-16 17:37:11 UTC
Depth
33.0 km (20.5 mi), shallow
Epicenter
14.273° S, 166.157° 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 2.0 and up: 48 in the 60 days after this one and 41 in the 30 days before it.

After

  1. 4.984 km W of Sola, Vanuatu · 14888 days ago · 33 km deep · 79 km away
  2. 4.960 km W of Sola, Vanuatu · 14888 days ago · 33 km deep · 97 km away
  3. 4.686 km W of Sola, Vanuatu · 14885 days ago · 33 km deep · 73 km away
  4. 7.1112 km W of Sola, Vanuatu · 14885 days ago · 43 km deep · 52 km away
  5. 5.3Vanuatu · 14885 days ago · 33 km deep · 50 km away
  6. 5.2105 km W of Sola, Vanuatu · 14885 days ago · 33 km deep · 58 km away
  7. 6.599 km WSW of Sola, Vanuatu · 14885 days ago · 33 km deep · 57 km away
  8. 5.195 km WSW of Sola, Vanuatu · 14885 days ago · 33 km deep · 61 km away
  9. 4.396 km W of Sola, Vanuatu · 14885 days ago · 33 km deep · 81 km away
  10. 4.482 km WSW of Sola, Vanuatu · 14885 days ago · 33 km deep · 75 km away
  11. 4.9107 km NNW of Port-Olry, Vanuatu · 14885 days ago · 33 km deep · 42 km away
  12. 6.3115 km NW of Port-Olry, Vanuatu · 14885 days ago · 33 km deep · 33 km away
  13. 5.3107 km WSW of Sola, Vanuatu · 14885 days ago · 33 km deep · 49 km away
  14. 4.686 km WSW of Sola, Vanuatu · 14885 days ago · 33 km deep · 71 km away
  15. 5.4127 km NW of Port-Olry, Vanuatu · 14885 days ago · 33 km deep · 29 km away
  16. 3.998 km NW of Port-Olry, Vanuatu · 14885 days ago · 33 km deep · 37 km away
  17. 4.1106 km NW of Port-Olry, Vanuatu · 14884 days ago · 33 km deep · 27 km away
  18. 4.8107 km NW of Port-Olry, Vanuatu · 14884 days ago · 33 km deep · 37 km away
  19. 4.2116 km WNW of Sola, Vanuatu · 14884 days ago · 33 km deep · 89 km away
  20. 5.2126 km W of Sola, Vanuatu · 14884 days ago · 33 km deep · 56 km away
  21. 5.5133 km W of Sola, Vanuatu · 14883 days ago · 42 km deep · 37 km away
  22. 4.5161 km NW of Port-Olry, Vanuatu · 14882 days ago · 33 km deep · 34 km away
  23. 5.8111 km NW of Port-Olry, Vanuatu · 14882 days ago · 33 km deep · 21 km away
  24. 4.1115 km W of Sola, Vanuatu · 14882 days ago · 33 km deep · 43 km away
  25. 4.8119 km NW of Port-Olry, Vanuatu · 14881 days ago · 33 km deep · 14 km away
  26. 4.390 km NNW of Port-Olry, Vanuatu · 14881 days ago · 33 km deep · 52 km away
  27. 4.3103 km NW of Port-Olry, Vanuatu · 14881 days ago · 33 km deep · 30 km away
  28. 4.7129 km NW of Port-Olry, Vanuatu · 14880 days ago · 33 km deep · 24 km away
  29. 4.370 km NW of Port-Olry, Vanuatu · 14879 days ago · 33 km deep · 64 km away
  30. 3.8104 km NW of Port-Olry, Vanuatu · 14879 days ago · 33 km deep · 28 km away
  31. 4.094 km NW of Port-Olry, Vanuatu · 14878 days ago · 33 km deep · 39 km away
  32. 5.1111 km NW of Port-Olry, Vanuatu · 14878 days ago · 33 km deep · 28 km away
  33. 5.3153 km WNW of Sola, Vanuatu · 14877 days ago · 33 km deep · 93 km away
  34. 4.795 km NW of Port-Olry, Vanuatu · 14872 days ago · 33 km deep · 35 km away
  35. 5.3110 km W of Sola, Vanuatu · 14868 days ago · 33 km deep · 67 km away
  36. 5.5123 km W of Sola, Vanuatu · 14864 days ago · 33 km deep · 66 km away
  37. 5.4120 km W of Sola, Vanuatu · 14864 days ago · 33 km deep · 67 km away
  38. 5.2127 km W of Sola, Vanuatu · 14864 days ago · 33 km deep · 70 km away
  39. 5.3119 km W of Sola, Vanuatu · 14864 days ago · 33 km deep · 62 km away
  40. 4.3137 km W of Sola, Vanuatu · 14864 days ago · 33 km deep · 40 km away
  41. 5.2126 km W of Sola, Vanuatu · 14864 days ago · 33 km deep · 63 km away
  42. 4.9130 km W of Sola, Vanuatu · 14864 days ago · 33 km deep · 59 km away
  43. 5.3118 km W of Sola, Vanuatu · 14864 days ago · 33 km deep · 65 km away
  44. 5.6121 km W of Sola, Vanuatu · 14864 days ago · 33 km deep · 60 km away
  45. 5.0152 km WNW of Sola, Vanuatu · 14845 days ago · 33 km deep · 74 km away
  46. 5.996 km WNW of Sola, Vanuatu · 14842 days ago · 31 km deep · 92 km away
  47. 4.2134 km WNW of Sola, Vanuatu · 14841 days ago · 33 km deep · 83 km away
  48. 5.0127 km WNW of Sola, Vanuatu · 14832 days ago · 33 km deep · 83 km away

Before

  1. 4.8132 km NW of Port-Olry, Vanuatu · 14890 days ago · 33 km deep · 16 km away
  2. 6.6139 km NW of Port-Olry, Vanuatu · 14890 days ago · 37 km deep · 24 km away
  3. 5.6136 km NW of Port-Olry, Vanuatu · 14890 days ago · 33 km deep · 14 km away
  4. 4.9149 km W of Sola, Vanuatu · 14890 days ago · 33 km deep · 64 km away
  5. 5.3159 km W of Sola, Vanuatu · 14895 days ago · 33 km deep · 62 km away
  6. 4.3105 km W of Sola, Vanuatu · 14897 days ago · 33 km deep · 67 km away
  7. 4.7155 km W of Sola, Vanuatu · 14898 days ago · 33 km deep · 66 km away
  8. 5.1150 km W of Sola, Vanuatu · 14898 days ago · 33 km deep · 58 km away
  9. 5.0124 km W of Sola, Vanuatu · 14901 days ago · 33 km deep · 45 km away
  10. 4.6162 km W of Sola, Vanuatu · 14901 days ago · 42 km deep · 47 km away
  11. 4.9150 km W of Sola, Vanuatu · 14902 days ago · 33 km deep · 31 km away
  12. 3.7141 km W of Sola, Vanuatu · 14902 days ago · 33 km deep · 32 km away
  13. 4.6116 km W of Sola, Vanuatu · 14902 days ago · 33 km deep · 56 km away
  14. 4.4106 km NW of Port-Olry, Vanuatu · 14903 days ago · 33 km deep · 24 km away
  15. 4.7145 km NW of Port-Olry, Vanuatu · 14904 days ago · 33 km deep · 26 km away
  16. 5.395 km W of Sola, Vanuatu · 14905 days ago · 33 km deep · 79 km away
  17. 4.7102 km NW of Port-Olry, Vanuatu · 14905 days ago · 31 km deep · 30 km away
  18. 4.7150 km W of Sola, Vanuatu · 14905 days ago · 33 km deep · 36 km away
  19. 4.6123 km W of Sola, Vanuatu · 14906 days ago · 33 km deep · 58 km away
  20. 4.6145 km NW of Port-Olry, Vanuatu · 14907 days ago · 33 km deep · 26 km away

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Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp0002nyf. Read Tue, Sep 22, 2026, 9:39 AM UTC.