Vanuatu earthquakes

M6.1 earthquake 87 km NW of Port-Vila, Vanuatu

A magnitude 6.1 earthquake struck 87 km NW of Port-Vila, Vanuatu on Wed, Dec 12, 2001, 11:53 PM GMT+11 (12:53 UTC), 33 km (21 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M7.2 50 km WNW of Port-Vila, Vanuatu. This one was a foreshock.

Port-Vila forecast More in Vanuatu

Map

Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.

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The earthquake

Magnitude: 6.1 (Mwc, centroid moment), strong
Magnitude from: USGS National Earthquake Information Center
Local time: Wed, Dec 12, 2001, 11:53 PM GMT+11
UTC: 2001-12-12 12:53:18 UTC
Depth: 33.0 km (20.5 mi), shallow
Epicenter: 17.189° S, 167.721° E
Region: Vanuatu
Strongest shaking: IV, light 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
6.1	Mwc, centroid moment	USGS National Earthquake Information Center	Preferred · Reviewed
6.1	Mw, moment	ISC-GEM global catalog	Final · ±0.1
6.1	Mwc, centroid moment	Global CMT project	Preliminary
6.03	Me, energy	Choy, USGS energy magnitude	Reviewed

Shaking

The USGS ShakeMap: shaking estimated from seismic stations and the quake’s size, on the Modified Mercalli intensity scale.

Strongest estimated: IV, light shaking
Peak ground acceleration: 3.3% of gravity
Peak ground velocity: 0.9 cm/s
Map: Automatic

USGS ShakeMap: estimated shaking intensity around the epicenter — Estimated shaking intensity. Map: USGS ShakeMap.

Did you feel it?

No one has reported feeling this quake to the USGS.

Fault motion and ground failure

How the rock slipped, from the moment tensor, and the USGS estimate of landslides and liquefaction.

Faulting: Reverse (thrust)
Nodal plane 1: Strike 356°, dip 46°, rake 77°
Nodal plane 2: Strike 194°, dip 46°, rake 103°

How well it is located

Reviewed by a seismologist.

Depth from: OPERATOR_ASSIGNED
Stations used: 424

Nearest places

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

Port-Vila, VanuatuPopulation 35,901. Forecast88 kmNW

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 3.1 and up: 82 in the 60 days after this one and 4 in the 30 days before it.

After

The first 60 of 82.

Before

Earthquakes today Vanuatu earthquakes Live radar here

Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp000aufv (also filed as choy20011212125318, gcmtc121201b, gcmt20011212125318, iscgem3240692). Read Fri, Oct 2, 2026, 11:48 PM UTC.