Vanuatu earthquakes

M6.3 earthquake 136 km NW of Sola, Vanuatu

A magnitude 6.3 earthquake struck 136 km NW of Sola, Vanuatu on Sun, Dec 29, 1985, 2:41 AM GMT+11 (15:41 UTC), 36 km (22 mi) below the surface.

Map

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The earthquake

Magnitude: 6.3 (mw), strong
Local time: Sun, Dec 29, 1985, 2:41 AM GMT+11
UTC: 1985-12-28 15:41:03 UTC
Depth: 36.0 km (22.4 mi), shallow
Epicenter: 13.192° S, 166.507° E
Region: Vanuatu
Strongest shaking: VI, strong shaking
Tsunami flag: No
Status: Reviewed by a seismologist

Shaking

The USGS ShakeMap: shaking estimated from seismic stations and the quake’s size, on the Modified Mercalli intensity scale.

Strongest estimated: VI, strong shaking
Peak ground acceleration: 13.0% of gravity
Peak ground velocity: 2.5 cm/s
Map: Automatic

USGS ShakeMap: estimated shaking intensity around the epicenter — Estimated shaking intensity. Map: USGS ShakeMap.

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 2.5 and up: 23 in the 60 days after this one and 35 in the 30 days before it.

After

Before

Earthquakes today Vanuatu earthquakes Live radar here

Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp0002phb (also filed as gcmtb122885c, gcmt19851228154103, iscgem509668, atlas19851228154107). Read Tue, Sep 22, 2026, 2:17 PM UTC.