Vanuatu earthquakes

M4.9 earthquake Vanuatu

A magnitude 4.9 earthquake struck in Vanuatu on Wed, Mar 7, 1990, 2:26 AM GMT+12 (14:26 UTC), 33 km (21 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
4.9 (mb, body-wave), light
Magnitude from
USGS National Earthquake Information Center
Local time
UTC
1990-03-06 14:26:10 UTC
Depth
33.0 km (20.5 mi), shallow
Epicenter
18.617° S, 167.900° 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 1.9 and up: 6 in the 60 days after this one and 7 in the 30 days before it.

After

  1. 5.285 km SSW of Port-Vila, Vanuatu · 13356 days ago · 17 km deep · 23 km away
  2. 4.683 km SSW of Port-Vila, Vanuatu · 13339 days ago · 33 km deep · 24 km away
  3. 4.684 km SSW of Port-Vila, Vanuatu · 13335 days ago · 33 km deep · 23 km away
  4. 4.680 km S of Port-Vila, Vanuatu · 13327 days ago · 41 km deep · 39 km away
  5. 5.539 km SSW of Port-Vila, Vanuatu · 13326 days ago · 36 km deep · 68 km away
  6. 4.878 km S of Port-Vila, Vanuatu · 13309 days ago · 56 km deep · 52 km away

Before

  1. 4.950 km SSW of Port-Vila, Vanuatu · 13358 days ago · 33 km deep · 59 km away
  2. 4.482 km SSW of Port-Vila, Vanuatu · 13359 days ago · 10 km deep · 26 km away
  3. 4.458 km SSW of Port-Vila, Vanuatu · 13359 days ago · 45 km deep · 49 km away
  4. 5.475 km SSW of Port-Vila, Vanuatu · 13359 days ago · 34 km deep · 32 km away
  5. 4.755 km SSW of Port-Vila, Vanuatu · 13359 days ago · 33 km deep · 51 km away
  6. 7.169 km SSW of Port-Vila, Vanuatu · 13359 days ago · 21 km deep · 37 km away
  7. 4.681 km WSW of Port-Vila, Vanuatu · 13367 days ago · 10 km deep · 69 km away

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Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp000468m. Read Thu, Oct 1, 2026, 1:34 PM UTC.