Vanuatu earthquakes

M5.3 earthquake 105 km SW of Isangel, Vanuatu

A magnitude 5.3 earthquake struck 105 km SW of Isangel, Vanuatu on Wed, Sep 13, 1972, 5:22 PM GMT+11 (06:22 UTC), 43 km (27 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M7.0 68 km SSW of Isangel, Vanuatu. This one was a foreshock.

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Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.

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The earthquake

Magnitude
5.3 (mw), moderate
Local time
UTC
1972-09-13 06:22:24 UTC
Depth
43.4 km (27.0 mi), shallow
Epicenter
20.325° S, 168.713° 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
±0.31
Depth from
From location

Nearest places

Distance and direction from each place to the epicenter, with its forecast.

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 2.3 and up: 13 in the 60 days after this one and 3 in the 30 days before it.

After

  1. 5.8104 km SSW of Isangel, Vanuatu · 19738 days ago · 15 km deep · 11 km away
  2. 5.2120 km SSW of Isangel, Vanuatu · 19738 days ago · 54 km deep · 20 km away
  3. 6.491 km S of Isangel, Vanuatu · 19737 days ago · 37 km deep · 42 km away
  4. 5.7102 km SSW of Isangel, Vanuatu · 19737 days ago · 38 km deep · 18 km away
  5. 5.6117 km SSW of Isangel, Vanuatu · 19737 days ago · 20 km deep · 27 km away
  6. 5.774 km SW of Isangel, Vanuatu · 19736 days ago · 32 km deep · 35 km away
  7. 5.8123 km SSW of Isangel, Vanuatu · 19735 days ago · 36 km deep · 18 km away
  8. 6.360 km SSW of Isangel, Vanuatu · 19694 days ago · 30 km deep · 45 km away
  9. 7.068 km SSW of Isangel, Vanuatu · 19687 days ago · 18 km deep · 38 km away
  10. 5.543 km SSW of Isangel, Vanuatu · 19686 days ago · 10 km deep · 66 km away
  11. 5.877 km SW of Isangel, Vanuatu · 19686 days ago · 31 km deep · 28 km away
  12. 6.265 km S of Isangel, Vanuatu · 19686 days ago · 45 km deep · 54 km away
  13. 5.478 km SSW of Isangel, Vanuatu · 19685 days ago · 34 km deep · 30 km away

Before

  1. 5.780 km SW of Isangel, Vanuatu · 19741 days ago · 52 km deep · 25 km away
  2. 6.291 km SW of Isangel, Vanuatu · 19741 days ago · 37 km deep · 14 km away
  3. 6.346 km SSW of Isangel, Vanuatu · 19745 days ago · 50 km deep · 61 km away

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Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event iscgem769355. Read Mon, Sep 28, 2026, 1:47 AM UTC.