Vanuatu earthquakes

M4.8 earthquake 39 km NW of Sola, Vanuatu

A magnitude 4.8 earthquake struck 39 km NW of Sola, Vanuatu on Mon, Dec 16, 1985, 7:23 AM GMT+11 (20:23 UTC), 216 km (134 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M4.9 84 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
4.8 (mb), light
Local time
UTC
1985-12-15 20:23:53 UTC
Depth
216.3 km (134.4 mi), intermediate-depth
Epicenter
13.584° S, 167.346° 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 1.8 and up: 25 in the 60 days after this one and 5 in the 30 days before it.

After

  1. 4.984 km W of Sola, Vanuatu · 14888 days ago · 33 km deep · 71 km away
  2. 4.960 km W of Sola, Vanuatu · 14888 days ago · 33 km deep · 56 km away
  3. 4.686 km W of Sola, Vanuatu · 14886 days ago · 33 km deep · 77 km away
  4. 7.1112 km W of Sola, Vanuatu · 14886 days ago · 43 km deep · 99 km away
  5. 5.3Vanuatu · 14886 days ago · 33 km deep · 100 km away
  6. 5.2105 km W of Sola, Vanuatu · 14886 days ago · 33 km deep · 92 km away
  7. 6.599 km WSW of Sola, Vanuatu · 14886 days ago · 33 km deep · 94 km away
  8. 5.195 km WSW of Sola, Vanuatu · 14886 days ago · 33 km deep · 93 km away
  9. 4.396 km W of Sola, Vanuatu · 14886 days ago · 33 km deep · 75 km away
  10. 4.482 km WSW of Sola, Vanuatu · 14885 days ago · 33 km deep · 85 km away
  11. 4.686 km WSW of Sola, Vanuatu · 14885 days ago · 33 km deep · 82 km away
  12. 4.264 km WNW of Sola, Vanuatu · 14884 days ago · 33 km deep · 34 km away
  13. 4.2116 km WNW of Sola, Vanuatu · 14884 days ago · 33 km deep · 88 km away
  14. 5.161 km SSW of Sola, Vanuatu · 14884 days ago · 218 km deep · 90 km away
  15. 5.273 km WNW of Sola, Vanuatu · 14884 days ago · 33 km deep · 45 km away
  16. 5.180 km WNW of Sola, Vanuatu · 14878 days ago · 33 km deep · 55 km away
  17. 4.7112 km NW of Sola, Vanuatu · 14878 days ago · 33 km deep · 74 km away
  18. 5.3110 km W of Sola, Vanuatu · 14869 days ago · 33 km deep · 91 km away
  19. 5.4120 km W of Sola, Vanuatu · 14864 days ago · 33 km deep · 99 km away
  20. 5.3119 km W of Sola, Vanuatu · 14864 days ago · 33 km deep · 100 km away
  21. 5.3118 km W of Sola, Vanuatu · 14864 days ago · 33 km deep · 98 km away
  22. 5.996 km WNW of Sola, Vanuatu · 14843 days ago · 31 km deep · 71 km away
  23. 4.191 km WNW of Sola, Vanuatu · 14841 days ago · 33 km deep · 64 km away
  24. 5.8107 km WNW of Sola, Vanuatu · 14832 days ago · 19 km deep · 73 km away
  25. 5.746 km SSW of Sola, Vanuatu · 14831 days ago · 206 km deep · 72 km away

Before

  1. 4.592 km NW of Sola, Vanuatu · 14897 days ago · 33 km deep · 57 km away
  2. 4.3105 km W of Sola, Vanuatu · 14898 days ago · 33 km deep · 87 km away
  3. 4.6116 km W of Sola, Vanuatu · 14903 days ago · 33 km deep · 100 km away
  4. 5.395 km W of Sola, Vanuatu · 14905 days ago · 33 km deep · 75 km away
  5. 5.0106 km W of Sola, Vanuatu · 14907 days ago · 33 km deep · 92 km away

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Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp0002nwx. Read Tue, Sep 22, 2026, 3:14 PM UTC.