Vanuatu earthquakes

M6.7 earthquake 92 km E of Port-Olry, Vanuatu

A magnitude 6.7 earthquake struck 92 km E of Port-Olry, Vanuatu on Sun, Jan 4, 1987, 10:04 AM GMT+12 (22:04 UTC), 15 km (9 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M6.9 57 km ENE of Lakatoro, Vanuatu. This one was a foreshock.

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Map

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

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The earthquake

Magnitude
6.7 (mw), strong
Local time
UTC
1987-01-03 22:04:04 UTC
Depth
14.5 km (9.0 mi), shallow
Epicenter
14.998° S, 167.929° E
Region
Vanuatu
Strongest shaking
VI, strong shaking
Tsunami flag
No
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

Shaking

The USGS ShakeMap: shaking estimated from seismic stations and the quake’s size, on the Modified Mercalli intensity scale.

Strongest estimated
VI, strong shaking
Peak ground acceleration
21.3% of gravity
Peak ground velocity
3.3 cm/s
Map
Automatic
USGS ShakeMap: estimated shaking intensity around the epicenter
Estimated shaking intensity. Map: USGS ShakeMap.

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 3.7 and up: 8 in the 60 days after this one and 2 in the 30 days before it.

After

  1. 5.093 km SSE of Sola, Vanuatu · 14515 days ago · 33 km deep · 39 km away
  2. 4.8115 km ENE of Luganville, Vanuatu · 14515 days ago · 33 km deep · 27 km away
  3. 5.219 km NE of Port-Olry, Vanuatu · 14513 days ago · 132 km deep · 78 km away
  4. 5.218 km E of Port-Olry, Vanuatu · 14511 days ago · 132 km deep · 74 km away
  5. 4.951 km NNE of Port-Olry, Vanuatu · 14498 days ago · 191 km deep · 83 km away
  6. 4.935 km NNE of Norsup, Vanuatu · 14475 days ago · 153 km deep · 96 km away
  7. 5.742 km E of Luganville, Vanuatu · 14474 days ago · 120 km deep · 66 km away
  8. 6.957 km ENE of Lakatoro, Vanuatu · 14464 days ago · 234 km deep · 95 km away

Before

  1. 4.829 km NE of Port-Olry, Vanuatu · 14523 days ago · 159 km deep · 70 km away
  2. 4.112 km NW of Port-Olry, Vanuatu · 14538 days ago · 250 km deep · 99 km away

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Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp00031cn (also filed as choy19870103220404, gcmtc010387c, gcmt19870103220407, atlas19870103220407, iscgem475779). Read Wed, Sep 30, 2026, 8:48 PM UTC.