M5.5 earthquake 78 km ESE of Lakatoro, Vanuatu
A magnitude 5.5 earthquake struck 78 km ESE of Lakatoro, Vanuatu on Sat, Nov 28, 1987, 1:05 AM GMT+12 (13:05 UTC), 33 km (20 mi) below the surface.
A larger quake followed: M6.2 80 km ESE of Lakatoro, Vanuatu. This one was a foreshock.
Map
Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.
The earthquake
- Magnitude
- 5.5 (Mw, moment), moderate
- Magnitude from
- USGS National Earthquake Information Center
- Local time
- UTC
- 1987-11-27 13:05:52 UTC
- Depth
- 32.9 km (20.4 mi), shallow
- Epicenter
- 16.263° S, 168.132° E
- Region
- Vanuatu
- Strongest shaking
- V, moderate shaking
- Tsunami flag
- No
- Status
- Reviewed by a seismologist
Magnitude estimates
Different scales measure different things and differ by a few tenths. The USGS marks one as preferred, and it is the one this page uses.
| Mag. | Scale | Computed by | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5.5 | Mw, moment | USGS National Earthquake Information Center | Preferred · Reviewed |
| 5.51 | Mw, moment | ISC-GEM global catalog | Final · ±0.1 |
| 5.5 | Mwc, centroid moment | Global CMT project | Preliminary |
What happened
The USGS’s account of the effects of this earthquake.
CENTROID, MOMENT TENSOR (HRV) Data Used: GDSN L.P.B.: 12S, 29C Centroid Location: Origin Time 13:05:52.6 0.5 Lat 16.49S 0.06 Lon 168.55E 0.06 Dep 15.0 FIX Half-duration 2.1 Moment Tensor; Scale 10**17 Nm Mrr=1.68 0.07 Mtt=0.47 0.09 Mff=-2.15 0.10 Mrt=-0.56 0.18 Mrf=1.07 0.31 Mtf=0.19 0.07 Principal Axes: (T) Val=2.10 Plg=69 Azm=217 (N) Val=0.36 Plg=15 Azm=349 (P) Val=-2.46 Plg=15 Azm=83 Best Double Couple:Mo=2.3*10**17 NP1:Strike=194 Dip=32 Slip=118 NP2:Strike=341 Dip=62 Slip=73
From the USGS event page for usp0003am8. U.S. Geological Survey text and figures are in the public domain.
Shaking
The USGS ShakeMap: shaking estimated from seismic stations and the quake’s size, on the Modified Mercalli intensity scale.
- Strongest estimated
- V, moderate shaking
- Peak ground acceleration
- 10.4% of gravity
- Peak ground velocity
- 1.7 cm/s
- Map
- Automatic
Did you feel it?
No one has reported feeling this quake to the USGS.
Nearest places
Distance and direction from each place to the epicenter, with its forecast.
Nearby
Within 100 km, magnitude 2.5 and up: 9 in the 60 days after this one and 2 in the 30 days before it.
After
- 5.580 km ESE of Lakatoro, Vanuatu · 14188 days ago · 29 km deep · 5 km away
- 6.280 km ESE of Lakatoro, Vanuatu · 14188 days ago · 29 km deep · 12 km away
- 4.882 km ESE of Lakatoro, Vanuatu · 14188 days ago · 33 km deep · 7 km away
- 4.977 km E of Lakatoro, Vanuatu · 14188 days ago · 25 km deep · 4 km away
- 5.1Vanuatu · 14188 days ago · 30 km deep · 6 km away
- 4.2119 km ESE of Lakatoro, Vanuatu · 14188 days ago · 33 km deep · 44 km away
- 4.855 km E of Luganville, Vanuatu · 14179 days ago · 137 km deep · 88 km away
- 4.473 km S of Lakatoro, Vanuatu · 14164 days ago · 33 km deep · 83 km away
- 4.919 km ENE of Lakatoro, Vanuatu · 14159 days ago · 23 km deep · 62 km away
Before
Earthquakes todayVanuatu earthquakesLive radar here
Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp0003am8 (also filed as gcmtb112787d, gcmt19871127130552, iscgem454035). Read Thu, Oct 1, 2026, 9:56 PM UTC.