Vanuatu earthquakes

M4.6 earthquake 81 km W of Port-Vila, Vanuatu

A magnitude 4.6 earthquake struck 81 km W of Port-Vila, Vanuatu on Sun, Sep 13, 1987, 7:39 PM GMT+11 (08:39 UTC), 33 km (21 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M6.8 79 km SSW 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
4.6 (mb, body-wave), light
Magnitude from
USGS National Earthquake Information Center
Local time
UTC
1987-09-13 08:39:41 UTC
Depth
33.0 km (20.5 mi), shallow
Epicenter
17.749° S, 167.547° 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 1.6 and up: 14 in the 60 days after this one and 5 in the 30 days before it.

After

  1. 6.879 km SSW of Port-Vila, Vanuatu · 14249 days ago · 31 km deep · 91 km away
  2. 5.376 km SSW of Port-Vila, Vanuatu · 14249 days ago · 31 km deep · 93 km away
  3. 4.675 km SW of Port-Vila, Vanuatu · 14249 days ago · 33 km deep · 46 km away
  4. 5.055 km SW of Port-Vila, Vanuatu · 14249 days ago · 55 km deep · 65 km away
  5. 5.569 km SSW of Port-Vila, Vanuatu · 14249 days ago · 32 km deep · 90 km away
  6. 4.371 km SSW of Port-Vila, Vanuatu · 14248 days ago · 33 km deep · 89 km away
  7. 6.566 km SW of Port-Vila, Vanuatu · 14247 days ago · 51 km deep · 57 km away
  8. 4.496 km SSW of Port-Vila, Vanuatu · 14247 days ago · 33 km deep · 89 km away
  9. 4.387 km SW of Port-Vila, Vanuatu · 14247 days ago · 33 km deep · 62 km away
  10. 4.566 km W of Port-Vila, Vanuatu · 14240 days ago · 33 km deep · 20 km away
  11. 4.7156 km WSW of Port-Vila, Vanuatu · 14234 days ago · 33 km deep · 93 km away
  12. 4.555 km W of Port-Vila, Vanuatu · 14225 days ago · 42 km deep · 27 km away
  13. 4.668 km S of Port-Vila, Vanuatu · 14224 days ago · 29 km deep · 98 km away
  14. 5.482 km SW of Port-Vila, Vanuatu · 14208 days ago · 23 km deep · 75 km away

Before

  1. 4.940 km NNW of Port-Vila, Vanuatu · 14278 days ago · 17 km deep · 73 km away
  2. 4.954 km N of Port-Vila, Vanuatu · 14281 days ago · 226 km deep · 97 km away
  3. 4.8107 km W of Port-Vila, Vanuatu · 14283 days ago · 21 km deep · 33 km away
  4. 4.261 km WNW of Port-Vila, Vanuatu · 14286 days ago · 33 km deep · 38 km away
  5. 4.657 km WNW of Port-Vila, Vanuatu · 14291 days ago · 21 km deep · 38 km away

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Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp00038bx. Read Fri, Oct 2, 2026, 12:34 PM UTC.