Vanuatu earthquakes

M5.3 earthquake 74 km SSE of Sola, Vanuatu

A magnitude 5.3 earthquake struck 74 km SSE of Sola, Vanuatu on Thu, Nov 28, 2002, 8:33 PM GMT+11 (09:33 UTC), 33 km (21 mi) below the surface.

Port-Vila forecastMore in Vanuatu

Map

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

Open the live map with earthquakes

The earthquake

Magnitude
5.3 (Mwc, centroid moment), moderate
Magnitude from
USGS National Earthquake Information Center
Local time
UTC
2002-11-28 09:33:47 UTC
Depth
33.0 km (20.5 mi), shallow
Epicenter
14.467° S, 167.883° 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.ScaleComputed byNotes
5.3Mwc, centroid momentUSGS National Earthquake Information CenterPreferred · Reviewed
5.3Mw, momentISC-GEM global catalogFinal · ±0.1
5.3Mwc, centroid momentGlobal CMT projectPreliminary

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
Oblique reverse
Nodal plane 1
Strike 130°, dip 27°, rake 54°
Nodal plane 2
Strike 349°, dip 68°, rake 107°

How well it is located

Reviewed by a seismologist.

Depth from
OPERATOR_ASSIGNED
Stations used
135

Nearest places

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

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 2.3 and up: 8 in the 60 days after this one and 14 in the 30 days before it.

After

  1. 4.666 km ENE of Port-Olry, Vanuatu · 8712 days ago · 33 km deep · 42 km away
  2. 5.074 km SSE of Sola, Vanuatu · 8712 days ago · 33 km deep · 10 km away
  3. 4.638 km ESE of Port-Olry, Vanuatu · 8712 days ago · 132 km deep · 97 km away
  4. 4.649 km ESE of Port-Olry, Vanuatu · 8710 days ago · 127 km deep · 93 km away
  5. 4.872 km NE of Port-Olry, Vanuatu · 8708 days ago · 33 km deep · 38 km away
  6. 4.125 km NW of Sola, Vanuatu · 8694 days ago · 188 km deep · 99 km away
  7. 4.838 km NE of Port-Olry, Vanuatu · 8676 days ago · 139 km deep · 72 km away
  8. 4.644 km NNE of Port-Olry, Vanuatu · 8653 days ago · 163 km deep · 69 km away

Before

  1. 4.587 km SSE of Sola, Vanuatu · 8712 days ago · 33 km deep · 13 km away
  2. 4.775 km SSE of Sola, Vanuatu · 8713 days ago · 33 km deep · 13 km away
  3. 4.455 km SSE of Sola, Vanuatu · 8713 days ago · 33 km deep · 20 km away
  4. 4.381 km SSE of Sola, Vanuatu · 8713 days ago · 33 km deep · 9 km away
  5. 4.396 km SE of Sola, Vanuatu · 8713 days ago · 33 km deep · 25 km away
  6. 5.974 km SSE of Sola, Vanuatu · 8713 days ago · 33 km deep · 7 km away
  7. 4.830 km ENE of Port-Olry, Vanuatu · 8715 days ago · 150 km deep · 78 km away
  8. 4.635 km ENE of Port-Olry, Vanuatu · 8717 days ago · 110 km deep · 73 km away
  9. 4.567 km SSW of Sola, Vanuatu · 8719 days ago · 200 km deep · 73 km away
  10. 4.366 km ENE of Luganville, Vanuatu · 8720 days ago · 138 km deep · 97 km away
  11. 5.825 km ESE of Port-Olry, Vanuatu · 8727 days ago · 132 km deep · 94 km away
  12. 4.552 km NNE of Port-Olry, Vanuatu · 8733 days ago · 200 km deep · 75 km away
  13. 4.823 km ENE of Port-Olry, Vanuatu · 8734 days ago · 128 km deep · 84 km away
  14. 4.844 km ENE of Port-Olry, Vanuatu · 8737 days ago · 119 km deep · 64 km away

Earthquakes todayVanuatu earthquakesLive radar here

Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp000bjm4 (also filed as gcmtb112802a, gcmt20021128093347, iscgem6142286). Read Mon, Oct 5, 2026, 9:42 AM UTC.