M6.3 earthquake 31 km NNW of Sola, Vanuatu
A magnitude 6.3 earthquake struck 31 km NNW of Sola, Vanuatu on Mon, Dec 7, 1987, 11:26 PM GMT+11 (12:26 UTC), 48 km (30 mi) below the surface.
Map
Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.
The earthquake
- Magnitude
- 6.3 (Mw, moment), strong
- Magnitude from
- USGS National Earthquake Information Center
- Local time
- UTC
- 1987-12-07 12:26:11 UTC
- Depth
- 48.1 km (29.9 mi), shallow
- Epicenter
- 13.632° S, 167.393° E
- Region
- Vanuatu
- Strongest shaking
- VI, strong shaking
- 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6.3 | Mw, moment | USGS National Earthquake Information Center | Preferred · Reviewed |
| 6.26 | Mw, moment | ISC-GEM global catalog | Final · ±0.1 |
| 6.3 | Mwc, centroid moment | Global CMT project | Preliminary |
What happened
The USGS’s account of the effects of this earthquake.
CENTROID, MOMENT TENSOR (HRV) Data Used: GDSN L.P.B.: 19S, 51C M.W.: 6S, 13C Centroid Location: Origin Time 12:26:14.3 0.2 Lat 13.63S 0.02 Lon 167.45E 0.02 Dep 33.0 FIX Half-duration 6.0 Moment Tensor; Scale 10**18 Nm Mrr=0.03 0.03 Mtt=1.51 0.04 Mff=-1.54 0.04 Mrt=-1.10 0.07 Mrf=0.19 0.06 Mtf=2.39 0.03 Principal Axes: (T) Val=3.07 Plg=16 Azm=153 (N) Val=-0.06 Plg=69 Azm=292 (P) Val=-3.01 Plg=13 Azm=59 Best Double Couple:Mo=3.0*10**18 NP1:Strike=196 Dip=69 Slip=178 NP2:Strike=287 Dip=88 Slip=21
From the USGS event page for usp0003b1s. U.S. Geological Survey text and figures are in the public domain.
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
- 12.3% of gravity
- Peak ground velocity
- 2.0 cm/s
- Map
- Automatic
Did you feel it?
No one has reported feeling this quake to the USGS.
Nearby
Within 100 km, magnitude 3.3 and up: 11 in the 60 days after this one and 2 in the 30 days before it.
After
- 4.858 km NNW of Sola, Vanuatu · 14180 days ago · 33 km deep · 28 km away
- 4.112 km WSW of Sola, Vanuatu · 14180 days ago · 33 km deep · 32 km away
- 6.236 km NNW of Sola, Vanuatu · 14180 days ago · 33 km deep · 10 km away
- 4.785 km NE of Sola, Vanuatu · 14180 days ago · 33 km deep · 79 km away
- 5.451 km NNW of Sola, Vanuatu · 14179 days ago · 33 km deep · 20 km away
- 4.472 km NE of Sola, Vanuatu · 14179 days ago · 33 km deep · 70 km away
- 4.648 km NNW of Sola, Vanuatu · 14179 days ago · 33 km deep · 19 km away
- 5.352 km NNW of Sola, Vanuatu · 14178 days ago · 33 km deep · 22 km away
- 4.941 km WSW of Sola, Vanuatu · 14161 days ago · 234 km deep · 44 km away
- 5.365 km SW of Sola, Vanuatu · 14159 days ago · 231 km deep · 83 km away
- 4.562 km WSW of Sola, Vanuatu · 14143 days ago · 33 km deep · 61 km away
Before
Earthquakes todayVanuatu earthquakesLive radar here
Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp0003b1s (also filed as gcmtc120787b, gcmt19871207122610, atlas19871207122611, iscgem450048). Read Sat, Oct 3, 2026, 6:24 AM UTC.