Vanuatu earthquakes

M5.6 earthquake 165 km NW of Sola, Vanuatu

A magnitude 5.6 earthquake struck 165 km NW of Sola, Vanuatu on Sat, Feb 1, 1986, 6:58 AM GMT+11 (19:58 UTC), 33 km (21 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M5.9 96 km WNW of Sola, Vanuatu. This one was a foreshock.

More in Vanuatu

Map

Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.

Open the live map with earthquakes

The earthquake

Magnitude
5.6 (mb), moderate
Local time
UTC
1986-01-31 19:58:51 UTC
Depth
33.0 km (20.5 mi), shallow
Epicenter
12.841° S, 166.452° 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 2.6 and up: 8 in the 60 days after this one and 6 in the 30 days before it.

After

  1. 5.996 km WNW of Sola, Vanuatu · 14851 days ago · 31 km deep · 91 km away
  2. 4.2134 km WNW of Sola, Vanuatu · 14850 days ago · 33 km deep · 80 km away
  3. 4.191 km WNW of Sola, Vanuatu · 14849 days ago · 33 km deep · 89 km away
  4. 5.6155 km WNW of Sola, Vanuatu · 14845 days ago · 33 km deep · 58 km away
  5. 5.0127 km WNW of Sola, Vanuatu · 14840 days ago · 33 km deep · 81 km away
  6. 5.8107 km WNW of Sola, Vanuatu · 14840 days ago · 19 km deep · 66 km away
  7. 5.267 km NW of Sola, Vanuatu · 14839 days ago · 216 km deep · 98 km away
  8. 5.2173 km NNW of Sola, Vanuatu · 14837 days ago · 285 km deep · 97 km away

Before

  1. 5.2179 km WNW of Sola, Vanuatu · 14852 days ago · 33 km deep · 75 km away
  2. 5.3151 km WNW of Sola, Vanuatu · 14853 days ago · 33 km deep · 60 km away
  3. 5.0152 km WNW of Sola, Vanuatu · 14853 days ago · 33 km deep · 91 km away
  4. 5.2127 km W of Sola, Vanuatu · 14873 days ago · 33 km deep · 95 km away
  5. 5.4120 km W of Sola, Vanuatu · 14873 days ago · 33 km deep · 99 km away
  6. 5.5123 km W of Sola, Vanuatu · 14873 days ago · 33 km deep · 100 km away

Earthquakes todayVanuatu earthquakesLive radar here

Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp0002qm2. Read Wed, Sep 30, 2026, 9:53 PM UTC.