Vanuatu earthquakes

M4.4 earthquake 73 km S of Lakatoro, Vanuatu

A magnitude 4.4 earthquake struck 73 km S of Lakatoro, Vanuatu on Tue, Dec 22, 1987, 11:15 AM GMT+12 (23:15 UTC), 33 km (21 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M5.4 50 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
4.4 (mb), light
Local time
UTC
1987-12-21 23:15:39 UTC
Depth
33.0 km (20.5 mi), shallow
Epicenter
16.753° S, 167.546° 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: 3 in the 60 days after this one and 9 in the 30 days before it.

After

  1. 4.919 km ENE of Lakatoro, Vanuatu · 14157 days ago · 23 km deep · 77 km away
  2. 4.5130 km WNW of Port-Vila, Vanuatu · 14120 days ago · 33 km deep · 71 km away
  3. 5.450 km WNW of Port-Vila, Vanuatu · 14114 days ago · 23 km deep · 96 km away

Before

  1. 4.2119 km ESE of Lakatoro, Vanuatu · 14185 days ago · 33 km deep · 99 km away
  2. 5.1Vanuatu · 14186 days ago · 30 km deep · 88 km away
  3. 4.977 km E of Lakatoro, Vanuatu · 14186 days ago · 25 km deep · 85 km away
  4. 4.882 km ESE of Lakatoro, Vanuatu · 14186 days ago · 33 km deep · 81 km away
  5. 6.280 km ESE of Lakatoro, Vanuatu · 14186 days ago · 29 km deep · 74 km away
  6. 5.580 km ESE of Lakatoro, Vanuatu · 14186 days ago · 29 km deep · 81 km away
  7. 5.578 km ESE of Lakatoro, Vanuatu · 14186 days ago · 33 km deep · 83 km away
  8. 4.372 km SE of Lakatoro, Vanuatu · 14187 days ago · 33 km deep · 39 km away
  9. 6.280 km ESE of Lakatoro, Vanuatu · 14187 days ago · 18 km deep · 76 km away

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Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp0003bfd. Read Tue, Sep 29, 2026, 8:12 AM UTC.