Vanuatu earthquakes

M5.2 earthquake 85 km SSW of Port-Vila, Vanuatu

A magnitude 5.2 earthquake struck 85 km SSW of Port-Vila, Vanuatu on Thu, Mar 8, 1990, 10:15 PM GMT+12 (10:15 UTC), 17 km (11 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M5.5 39 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
5.2 (mb, body-wave), moderate
Magnitude from
USGS National Earthquake Information Center
Local time
UTC
1990-03-08 10:15:14 UTC
Depth
17.3 km (10.7 mi), shallow
Epicenter
18.468° S, 168.051° 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.

Nearest places

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

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 2.2 and up: 5 in the 60 days after this one and 8 in the 30 days before it.

After

  1. 4.683 km SSW of Port-Vila, Vanuatu · 13339 days ago · 33 km deep · 15 km away
  2. 4.684 km SSW of Port-Vila, Vanuatu · 13335 days ago · 33 km deep · 4 km away
  3. 4.680 km S of Port-Vila, Vanuatu · 13327 days ago · 41 km deep · 19 km away
  4. 5.539 km SSW of Port-Vila, Vanuatu · 13326 days ago · 36 km deep · 47 km away
  5. 4.878 km S of Port-Vila, Vanuatu · 13309 days ago · 56 km deep · 32 km away

Before

  1. 4.9Vanuatu · 13358 days ago · 33 km deep · 23 km away
  2. 4.950 km SSW of Port-Vila, Vanuatu · 13359 days ago · 33 km deep · 36 km away
  3. 4.482 km SSW of Port-Vila, Vanuatu · 13359 days ago · 10 km deep · 4 km away
  4. 4.458 km SSW of Port-Vila, Vanuatu · 13359 days ago · 45 km deep · 30 km away
  5. 5.475 km SSW of Port-Vila, Vanuatu · 13359 days ago · 34 km deep · 13 km away
  6. 4.755 km SSW of Port-Vila, Vanuatu · 13359 days ago · 33 km deep · 30 km away
  7. 7.169 km SSW of Port-Vila, Vanuatu · 13359 days ago · 21 km deep · 17 km away
  8. 4.681 km WSW of Port-Vila, Vanuatu · 13367 days ago · 10 km deep · 64 km away

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Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp00046b7. Read Thu, Oct 1, 2026, 5:35 PM UTC.