M6.0 earthquake 177 km NW of Sola, Vanuatu
A magnitude 6.0 earthquake struck 177 km NW of Sola, Vanuatu on Fri, Aug 14, 1987, 4:59 PM GMT+11 (05:59 UTC), 29 km (18 mi) below the surface.
Map
Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.
The earthquake
- Magnitude
- 6.0 (Mw, moment), strong
- Magnitude from
- USGS National Earthquake Information Center
- Local time
- UTC
- 1987-08-14 05:59:04 UTC
- Depth
- 29.2 km (18.1 mi), shallow
- Epicenter
- 12.580° S, 166.589° E
- Region
- Vanuatu
- 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6.0 | Mw, moment | USGS National Earthquake Information Center | Preferred · Reviewed |
| 5.94 | Mw, moment | ISC-GEM global catalog | Final · ±0.1 |
| 5.9 | Mwc, centroid moment | Global CMT project | Preliminary |
| 6.15 | Me, energy | Choy, USGS energy magnitude | Reviewed |
What happened
The USGS’s account of the effects of this earthquake.
Depth from broadband displacement seismograms. FAULT PLANE SOLUTION: P-Waves NP1:Strike=210 Dip=48 Slip=125 NP2:Strike=344 Dip=53 Slip=58 Principal Axes: (T) Plg=65 Azm=191 (P) Plg=2 Azm=96 Comment: The focal mechanism is poorly controlled and corresponds to reverse faulting with a large strike-slip component. The preferred fault plane is not determined. RADIATED ENERGY No. of sta: 5 Focal mech. M Energy 4.2+1.2*10**13 Nm MOMENT TENSOR SOLUTION Dep 35 No. of sta: 17 Moment Tensor; Scale 10**18 Nm Mrr=1.29 Mtt=-0.18 Mff=-1.12 Mrt=-0.12 Mrf=-0.23 Mtf=-0.38 Principal axes: (T) Val=1.32 Plg=84 Azm=124 (N) Val=-0.04 Plg=1 Azm=20 (P) Val=-1.28 Plg=6 Azm=290 Best Double Couple:Mo=1.3*10**18 NP1:Strike=18 Dip=39 Slip=88 NP2:Strike=201 Dip=51 Slip=92 CENTROID, MOMENT TENSOR (HRV) Data Used: GDSN L.P.B.: 23S, 55C Centroid Location: Origin Time 05:59:12.4 0.2 Lat 12.50S 0.02 Lon 166.15E 0.02 Dep 50.5 1.4 Half-duration 3.6 Moment Tensor; Scale 10**17 Nm Mrr=9.25 0.17 Mtt=0.65 0.29 Mff=-9.90 0.27 Mrt=2.04 0.27 Mrf=2.03 0.30 Mtf=1.66 0.20 Principal Axes: (T) Val=9.99 Plg=75 Azm=333 (N) Val=0.32 Plg=14 Azm=174 (P) Val=-10.30 Plg=5 Azm=82 Best Double Couple:Mo=1.0*10**18 NP1:Strike=157 Dip=42 Slip=69 NP2:Strike=5 Dip=52 Slip=108
From the USGS event page for usp00037h2. U.S. Geological Survey text and figures are in the public domain.
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
Nearby
Within 100 km, magnitude 3.0 and up: 2 in the 60 days after this one and 4 in the 30 days before it.
After
- 5.1111 km WNW of Sola, Vanuatu · 14287 days ago · 33 km deep · 84 km away
- 4.9161 km NNW of Sola, Vanuatu · 14274 days ago · 136 km deep · 30 km away
Before
- 5.9193 km SSE of Lata, Solomon Islands · 14296 days ago · 114 km deep · 36 km away
- 3.8158 km NNW of Sola, Vanuatu · 14302 days ago · 353 km deep · 45 km away
- 5.1168 km NNW of Sola, Vanuatu · 14305 days ago · 116 km deep · 28 km away
- 5.1164 km SSE of Lata, Solomon Islands · 14322 days ago · 45 km deep · 60 km away
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Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp00037h2 (also filed as choy19870814055904, gcmtb081487a, gcmt19870814055908, iscgem459717). Read Fri, Oct 2, 2026, 4:09 AM UTC.