Vanuatu earthquakes

M5.0 earthquake 55 km SW of Port-Vila, Vanuatu

A magnitude 5.0 earthquake struck 55 km SW of Port-Vila, Vanuatu on Tue, Sep 29, 1987, 3:01 AM GMT+12 (15:01 UTC), 55 km (34 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M6.5 66 km SW 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
5.0 (mb, body-wave), moderate
Magnitude from
USGS National Earthquake Information Center
Local time
UTC
1987-09-28 15:01:02 UTC
Depth
54.7 km (34.0 mi), shallow
Epicenter
18.138° S, 168.001° 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
FROM_LOCATION

Nearest places

Distance and direction from each place to the epicenter, with its forecast.

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 2.0 and up: 11 in the 60 days after this one and 8 in the 30 days before it.

After

  1. 5.569 km SSW of Port-Vila, Vanuatu · 14249 days ago · 32 km deep · 26 km away
  2. 4.371 km SSW of Port-Vila, Vanuatu · 14248 days ago · 33 km deep · 26 km away
  3. 6.566 km SW of Port-Vila, Vanuatu · 14248 days ago · 51 km deep · 15 km away
  4. 4.496 km SSW of Port-Vila, Vanuatu · 14247 days ago · 33 km deep · 42 km away
  5. 4.387 km SW of Port-Vila, Vanuatu · 14247 days ago · 33 km deep · 34 km away
  6. 4.4132 km SSW of Port-Vila, Vanuatu · 14243 days ago · 33 km deep · 77 km away
  7. 4.566 km W of Port-Vila, Vanuatu · 14240 days ago · 33 km deep · 64 km away
  8. 4.555 km W of Port-Vila, Vanuatu · 14226 days ago · 42 km deep · 55 km away
  9. 4.668 km S of Port-Vila, Vanuatu · 14224 days ago · 29 km deep · 34 km away
  10. 4.8Vanuatu · 14223 days ago · 34 km deep · 92 km away
  11. 5.482 km SW of Port-Vila, Vanuatu · 14209 days ago · 23 km deep · 27 km away

Before

  1. 6.691 km S of Port-Vila, Vanuatu · 14249 days ago · 25 km deep · 48 km away
  2. 4.675 km SW of Port-Vila, Vanuatu · 14249 days ago · 33 km deep · 29 km away
  3. 5.376 km SSW of Port-Vila, Vanuatu · 14249 days ago · 31 km deep · 31 km away
  4. 6.879 km SSW of Port-Vila, Vanuatu · 14249 days ago · 31 km deep · 31 km away
  5. 4.472 km S of Port-Vila, Vanuatu · 14249 days ago · 33 km deep · 42 km away
  6. 6.174 km S of Port-Vila, Vanuatu · 14249 days ago · 32 km deep · 41 km away
  7. 4.681 km W of Port-Vila, Vanuatu · 14264 days ago · 33 km deep · 65 km away
  8. 4.940 km NNW of Port-Vila, Vanuatu · 14278 days ago · 17 km deep · 82 km away

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Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp00038th. Read Fri, Oct 2, 2026, 6:37 PM UTC.