Vanuatu earthquakes

M4.3 earthquake 72 km SSW of Port-Vila, Vanuatu

A magnitude 4.3 earthquake struck 72 km SSW of Port-Vila, Vanuatu on Thu, Dec 12, 1985, 1:39 AM GMT+12 (13:39 UTC), 33 km (21 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M4.5 89 km NNW of Isangel, 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
4.3 (mb), light
Local time
UTC
1985-12-11 13:39:33 UTC
Depth
33.0 km (20.5 mi), shallow
Epicenter
18.377° S, 168.160° 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: 15 in the 60 days after this one and 2 in the 30 days before it.

After

  1. 4.176 km S of Port-Vila, Vanuatu · 14895 days ago · 42 km deep · 20 km away
  2. 4.589 km NNW of Isangel, Vanuatu · 14883 days ago · 33 km deep · 93 km away
  3. 4.344 km SW of Port-Vila, Vanuatu · 14871 days ago · 25 km deep · 43 km away
  4. 4.544 km W of Port-Vila, Vanuatu · 14871 days ago · 33 km deep · 78 km away
  5. 4.450 km W of Port-Vila, Vanuatu · 14871 days ago · 33 km deep · 77 km away
  6. 5.353 km WNW of Port-Vila, Vanuatu · 14871 days ago · 27 km deep · 97 km away
  7. 4.454 km W of Port-Vila, Vanuatu · 14871 days ago · 29 km deep · 80 km away
  8. 4.265 km W of Port-Vila, Vanuatu · 14871 days ago · 33 km deep · 85 km away
  9. 4.468 km W of Port-Vila, Vanuatu · 14871 days ago · 10 km deep · 87 km away
  10. 4.875 km W of Port-Vila, Vanuatu · 14871 days ago · 10 km deep · 94 km away
  11. 4.371 km W of Port-Vila, Vanuatu · 14871 days ago · 10 km deep · 84 km away
  12. 4.371 km W of Port-Vila, Vanuatu · 14870 days ago · 10 km deep · 88 km away
  13. 4.249 km W of Port-Vila, Vanuatu · 14870 days ago · 33 km deep · 72 km away
  14. 4.439 km WSW of Port-Vila, Vanuatu · 14867 days ago · 47 km deep · 67 km away
  15. 4.953 km WSW of Port-Vila, Vanuatu · 14856 days ago · 21 km deep · 63 km away

Before

  1. 4.6114 km SE of Port-Vila, Vanuatu · 14897 days ago · 222 km deep · 98 km away
  2. 5.288 km SSE of Port-Vila, Vanuatu · 14915 days ago · 111 km deep · 46 km away

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Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp0002ns3. Read Tue, Sep 22, 2026, 10:24 PM UTC.