M6.6 earthquake 39 km SE of Lakatoro, Vanuatu
A magnitude 6.6 earthquake struck 39 km SE of Lakatoro, Vanuatu on Thu, Jan 6, 1955, 4:48 AM GMT+11 (17:48 UTC), 15 km (9 mi) below the surface.
Map
Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.
The earthquake
- Magnitude
- 6.6 (mw), strong
- Local time
- UTC
- 1955-01-05 17:48:40 UTC
- Depth
- 15.0 km (9.3 mi), shallow
- Epicenter
- 16.395° S, 167.621° E
- Region
- Vanuatu
- Strongest shaking
- VII, very strong shaking
- Tsunami flag
- No
- Status
- Reviewed by a seismologist
Shaking
The USGS ShakeMap: shaking estimated from seismic stations and the quake’s size, on the Modified Mercalli intensity scale.
- Strongest estimated
- VII, very strong shaking
- Peak ground acceleration
- 28.6% of gravity
- Peak ground velocity
- 3.2 cm/s
- Map
- Automatic
Did you feel it?
No one has reported feeling this quake to the USGS.
How well it is located
Reviewed by a seismologist.
- Magnitude uncertainty
- ±0.23
- Depth from
- From location
Nearest places
Distance and direction from each place to the epicenter, with its forecast.
Nearby
Within 100 km, magnitude 2.5 and up: 2 in the 60 days after this one and 0 in the 30 days before it.
After
Earthquakes todayVanuatu earthquakesLive radar here
Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event iscgem889084. Read Tue, Sep 22, 2026, 4:03 PM UTC.