August 1878 Earthquake: Vanuatu Islands
An earthquake struck Vanuatu Islands in August 1878. It caused a tsunami.
Map
Where it struck, with the other significant earthquakes within 200 km. Circles are sized and colored by magnitude; select one for its page.
The earthquake
- Date
- August 1878
- Place
- Vanuatu Islands
- Tsunami
- Yes: the tsunami it caused
- Epicenter
- 19.000° S, 168.500° E
- Country
- Vanuatu
The toll
The record gives no deaths, injuries or damage for this earthquake.
What the record says
NCEI’s account, from the sources it cites.
Reference #414:
1878, August. A third earthquake again changed the relief of Resolution Port, raising the bottom of the harbor above the water level on a 30 m stretch of the western shore (nothing is reported about a tsunami)
Other significant earthquakes nearby
Within 200 km, the deadliest first.
- March 28, 1875, Lifou Island, Loyalty Islands, New Caledonia
- December 17, 2024, Efate, Port Vila, Vanuatu Islands
- August 17, 1863, Vanuatu Islands
- January 10, 1878, Tanna Island, Vanuatu
- February 11, 1878, Vanuatu Islands
- April 14, 2012, Vanuatu Islands
- January 9, 2011, Vanuatu Islands
- November 24, 1944, Vanuatu Islands
- July 2, 1953, Vanuatu Islands
- March 22, 1925, Vanuatu Islands
- July 23, 1961, Vanuatu Islands
- October 14, 1913, Vanuatu Islands
- May 10, 1875, Vanuatu Islands
- August 20, 2011, Vanuatu Islands
- August 20, 2011, Vanuatu Islands
More
Significant earthquakes of 1878The 1800sRecent earthquakes near here
Sources
Significant earthquakes from NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information, Global Historical Hazard Database, cited as NCEI/WDS, doi:10.7289/V5PN93H7. Public domain. Read 2026-09-24. NCEI earthquake 10089.