M6.3 earthquake 60 km SSW of Isangel, Vanuatu
A magnitude 6.3 earthquake struck 60 km SSW of Isangel, Vanuatu on Fri, Oct 27, 1972, 8:23 PM GMT+11 (09:23 UTC), 30 km (18 mi) below the surface.
A larger quake followed: M7.0 68 km SSW 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
- 6.3 (mw), strong
- Local time
- UTC
- 1972-10-27 09:23:08 UTC
- Depth
- 29.5 km (18.3 mi), shallow
- Epicenter
- 20.020° S, 168.998° 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
Nearest places
Distance and direction from each place to the epicenter, with its forecast.
Nearby
Within 100 km, magnitude 2.5 and up: 7 in the 60 days after this one and 0 in the 30 days before it.
After
- 7.068 km SSW of Isangel, Vanuatu · 19682 days ago · 18 km deep · 8 km away
- 5.543 km SSW of Isangel, Vanuatu · 19681 days ago · 10 km deep · 21 km away
- 5.877 km SW of Isangel, Vanuatu · 19681 days ago · 31 km deep · 19 km away
- 5.513 km ESE of Isangel, Vanuatu · 19681 days ago · 20 km deep · 66 km away
- 6.265 km S of Isangel, Vanuatu · 19681 days ago · 45 km deep · 24 km away
- 5.478 km SSW of Isangel, Vanuatu · 19680 days ago · 34 km deep · 18 km away
- 5.821 km ESE of Isangel, Vanuatu · 19675 days ago · 15 km deep · 66 km away
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Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event iscgem768732. Read Tue, Sep 22, 2026, 3:58 PM UTC.