Vanuatu earthquakes

M5.3 earthquake 151 km WNW of Sola, Vanuatu

A magnitude 5.3 earthquake struck 151 km WNW of Sola, Vanuatu on Fri, Jan 31, 1986, 9:14 AM GMT+11 (22:14 UTC), 33 km (21 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M5.6 165 km NW 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
5.3 (mb), moderate
Local time
UTC
1986-01-30 22:14:40 UTC
Depth
33.0 km (20.5 mi), shallow
Epicenter
13.344° S, 166.258° 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

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 2.3 and up: 9 in the 60 days after this one and 11 in the 30 days before it.

After

  1. 5.2179 km WNW of Sola, Vanuatu · 14844 days ago · 33 km deep · 29 km away
  2. 5.6165 km NW of Sola, Vanuatu · 14844 days ago · 33 km deep · 60 km away
  3. 5.996 km WNW of Sola, Vanuatu · 14842 days ago · 31 km deep · 57 km away
  4. 4.2134 km WNW of Sola, Vanuatu · 14841 days ago · 33 km deep · 25 km away
  5. 4.191 km WNW of Sola, Vanuatu · 14841 days ago · 33 km deep · 60 km away
  6. 5.6155 km WNW of Sola, Vanuatu · 14836 days ago · 33 km deep · 4 km away
  7. 5.0127 km WNW of Sola, Vanuatu · 14832 days ago · 33 km deep · 31 km away
  8. 5.8107 km WNW of Sola, Vanuatu · 14831 days ago · 19 km deep · 48 km away
  9. 5.267 km NW of Sola, Vanuatu · 14830 days ago · 216 km deep · 92 km away

Before

  1. 5.0152 km WNW of Sola, Vanuatu · 14845 days ago · 33 km deep · 31 km away
  2. 5.6121 km W of Sola, Vanuatu · 14864 days ago · 33 km deep · 55 km away
  3. 5.3118 km W of Sola, Vanuatu · 14864 days ago · 33 km deep · 52 km away
  4. 4.9130 km W of Sola, Vanuatu · 14864 days ago · 33 km deep · 49 km away
  5. 5.2126 km W of Sola, Vanuatu · 14864 days ago · 33 km deep · 47 km away
  6. 4.3137 km W of Sola, Vanuatu · 14864 days ago · 33 km deep · 65 km away
  7. 5.3119 km W of Sola, Vanuatu · 14864 days ago · 33 km deep · 54 km away
  8. 5.2127 km W of Sola, Vanuatu · 14864 days ago · 33 km deep · 41 km away
  9. 5.4120 km W of Sola, Vanuatu · 14864 days ago · 33 km deep · 48 km away
  10. 5.5123 km W of Sola, Vanuatu · 14864 days ago · 33 km deep · 47 km away
  11. 5.3110 km W of Sola, Vanuatu · 14869 days ago · 33 km deep · 58 km away

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Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp0002qka. Read Tue, Sep 22, 2026, 10:30 AM UTC.