M5.3 earthquake 120 km WNW of Sola, Vanuatu
A magnitude 5.3 earthquake struck 120 km WNW of Sola, Vanuatu on Sat, Oct 30, 1971, 10:09 AM GMT+11 (23:09 UTC), 25 km (16 mi) below the surface.
A larger quake followed: M5.4 173 km NW of Sola, Vanuatu. This one was a foreshock.
Map
Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.
The earthquake
- Magnitude
- 5.3 (mw), moderate
- Local time
- UTC
- 1971-10-29 23:09:32 UTC
- Depth
- 25.0 km (15.5 mi), shallow
- Epicenter
- 13.478° S, 166.512° 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
- ±0.59
- Depth from
- From location
Nearby
Within 100 km, magnitude 2.3 and up: 1 in the 60 days after this one and 4 in the 30 days before it.
After
Before
Earthquakes todayVanuatu earthquakesLive radar here
Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event iscgem779792. Read Tue, Sep 22, 2026, 5:29 AM UTC.