M5.5 earthquake 13 km ESE of Isangel, Vanuatu
A magnitude 5.5 earthquake struck 13 km ESE of Isangel, Vanuatu on Sat, Nov 4, 1972, 9:42 AM GMT+11 (22:42 UTC), 20 km (12 mi) below the surface.
A larger quake followed: M6.2 65 km S of Isangel, Vanuatu. This one was a foreshock.
Map
Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.
The earthquake
- Magnitude
- 5.5 (mw), moderate
- Local time
- UTC
- 1972-11-03 22:42:39 UTC
- Depth
- 20.0 km (12.4 mi), shallow
- Epicenter
- 19.570° S, 169.410° 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
- ±0.27
- 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: 3 in the 60 days after this one and 4 in the 30 days before it.
After
- 6.265 km S of Isangel, Vanuatu · 19680 days ago · 45 km deep · 66 km away
- 5.478 km SSW of Isangel, Vanuatu · 19679 days ago · 34 km deep · 83 km away
- 5.821 km ESE of Isangel, Vanuatu · 19675 days ago · 15 km deep · 9 km away
Before
Earthquakes todayVanuatu earthquakesLive radar here
Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event iscgem766971. Read Tue, Sep 22, 2026, 9:37 AM UTC.