M5.1 earthquake 170 km NW of Sola, Vanuatu
A magnitude 5.1 earthquake struck 170 km NW of Sola, Vanuatu on Thu, Aug 28, 1986, 8:08 AM GMT+11 (21:08 UTC), 33 km (21 mi) below the surface.
A larger quake followed: M5.3 197 km NNW of Sola, Vanuatu. This one was a foreshock.
Map
Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.
The earthquake
- Magnitude
- 5.1 (mb), moderate
- Local time
- UTC
- 1986-08-27 21:08:34 UTC
- Depth
- 33.0 km (20.5 mi), shallow
- Epicenter
- 12.937° S, 166.299° 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 2.1 and up: 2 in the 60 days after this one and 1 in the 30 days before it.
After
- 4.9179 km NNW of Sola, Vanuatu · 14634 days ago · 108 km deep · 62 km away
- 5.3197 km NNW of Sola, Vanuatu · 14617 days ago · 135 km deep · 72 km away
Before
Earthquakes todayVanuatu earthquakesLive radar here
Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp0002xks. Read Tue, Sep 22, 2026, 8:59 PM UTC.