Vanuatu earthquakes

M5.5 earthquake 133 km W of Sola, Vanuatu

A magnitude 5.5 earthquake struck 133 km W of Sola, Vanuatu on Tue, Dec 24, 1985, 5:15 AM GMT+11 (18:15 UTC), 42 km (26 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M5.8 111 km NW of Port-Olry, Vanuatu. This one was a foreshock.

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The earthquake

Magnitude: 5.5 (mw), moderate
Local time: Tue, Dec 24, 1985, 5:15 AM GMT+11
UTC: 1985-12-23 18:15:09 UTC
Depth: 42.1 km (26.2 mi), shallow
Epicenter: 13.979° S, 166.320° 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.

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 2.5 and up: 34 in the 60 days after this one and 65 in the 30 days before it.

After

Before

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Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp0002pak (also filed as gcmtb122385b, gcmt19851223181507, iscgem509236). Read Wed, Sep 23, 2026, 3:32 AM UTC.