M5.9 earthquake Vanuatu region
A magnitude 5.9 earthquake struck in the Vanuatu region on Mon, May 4, 1970, 7:40 PM GMT+12 (07:40 UTC), 21 km (13 mi) below the surface.
Map
Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.
The earthquake
- Magnitude
- 5.9 (Mw, moment), moderate
- Magnitude from
- ISC-GEM global catalog
- Local time
- UTC
- 1970-05-04 07:40:55 UTC
- Depth
- 21.0 km (13.0 mi), shallow
- Epicenter
- 20.714° S, 173.466° 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.
- Magnitude uncertainty
- ±0.20
- Depth from
- From location
Nearby
Within 100 km, magnitude 2.9 and up: 0 in the 60 days after this one and 0 in the 30 days before it.
None recorded.
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Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event iscgem795182. Read Fri, Oct 2, 2026, 5:55 AM UTC.