Vanuatu earthquakes

M4.2 earthquake 65 km W of Port-Vila, Vanuatu

A magnitude 4.2 earthquake struck 65 km W of Port-Vila, Vanuatu on Sun, Jan 5, 1986, 4:05 AM GMT+12 (16:05 UTC), 33 km (21 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M5.4 82 km WNW of Port-Vila, 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
4.2 (mb, body-wave), light
Magnitude from
USGS National Earthquake Information Center
Local time
UTC
1986-01-04 16:05:47 UTC
Depth
33.0 km (20.5 mi), shallow
Epicenter
17.754° S, 167.699° 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: 9 in the 60 days after this one and 7 in the 30 days before it.

After

  1. 4.468 km W of Port-Vila, Vanuatu · 14880 days ago · 10 km deep · 4 km away
  2. 4.875 km W of Port-Vila, Vanuatu · 14880 days ago · 10 km deep · 11 km away
  3. 4.371 km W of Port-Vila, Vanuatu · 14880 days ago · 10 km deep · 8 km away
  4. 4.371 km W of Port-Vila, Vanuatu · 14880 days ago · 10 km deep · 6 km away
  5. 4.249 km W of Port-Vila, Vanuatu · 14879 days ago · 33 km deep · 17 km away
  6. 5.482 km WNW of Port-Vila, Vanuatu · 14878 days ago · 26 km deep · 37 km away
  7. 4.439 km WSW of Port-Vila, Vanuatu · 14876 days ago · 47 km deep · 27 km away
  8. 4.953 km WSW of Port-Vila, Vanuatu · 14865 days ago · 21 km deep · 22 km away
  9. 4.563 km WNW of Port-Vila, Vanuatu · 14822 days ago · 33 km deep · 31 km away

Before

  1. 4.454 km W of Port-Vila, Vanuatu · 14881 days ago · 29 km deep · 11 km away
  2. 5.353 km WNW of Port-Vila, Vanuatu · 14881 days ago · 27 km deep · 27 km away
  3. 4.450 km W of Port-Vila, Vanuatu · 14881 days ago · 33 km deep · 14 km away
  4. 4.544 km W of Port-Vila, Vanuatu · 14881 days ago · 33 km deep · 21 km away
  5. 4.344 km SW of Port-Vila, Vanuatu · 14881 days ago · 25 km deep · 44 km away
  6. 5.160 km WNW of Port-Vila, Vanuatu · 14881 days ago · 24 km deep · 24 km away
  7. 4.372 km SSW of Port-Vila, Vanuatu · 14905 days ago · 33 km deep · 85 km away

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Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp0002prp. Read Fri, Oct 2, 2026, 4:20 AM UTC.