Vanuatu earthquakes

M5.1 earthquake 60 km WNW of Port-Vila, Vanuatu

A magnitude 5.1 earthquake struck 60 km WNW of Port-Vila, Vanuatu on Sat, Jan 4, 1986, 9:52 PM GMT+12 (09:52 UTC), 24 km (15 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M5.3 53 km WNW of Port-Vila, Vanuatu. This one was a foreshock.

Port-Vila forecast More in Vanuatu

Map

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The earthquake

Magnitude: 5.1 (mb), moderate
Local time: Sat, Jan 4, 1986, 9:52 PM GMT+12
UTC: 1986-01-04 09:52:53 UTC
Depth: 23.5 km (14.6 mi), shallow
Epicenter: 17.554° S, 167.772° 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

Nearest places

Distance and direction from each place to the epicenter, with its forecast.

Port-Vila, VanuatuPopulation 35,901. Forecast61 kmWNW

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 2.1 and up: 15 in the 60 days after this one and 0 in the 30 days before it.

After

Earthquakes today Vanuatu earthquakes Live radar here

Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp0002prc (also filed as iscgem504934). Read Tue, Sep 22, 2026, 8:28 PM UTC.