Vanuatu earthquakes

M5.6 earthquake 117 km SSW of Isangel, Vanuatu

A magnitude 5.6 earthquake struck 117 km SSW of Isangel, Vanuatu on Thu, Sep 14, 1972, 8:24 PM GMT+11 (09:24 UTC), 20 km (12 mi) below the surface.

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

Mont-Dore forecastMore in Vanuatu

Map

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

Open the live map with earthquakes

The earthquake

Magnitude
5.6 (mw), moderate
Local time
UTC
1972-09-14 09:24:12 UTC
Depth
20.1 km (12.5 mi), shallow
Epicenter
20.523° S, 168.857° 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 2.6 and up: 8 in the 60 days after this one and 8 in the 30 days before it.

After

  1. 5.774 km SW of Isangel, Vanuatu · 19737 days ago · 32 km deep · 57 km away
  2. 5.8123 km SSW of Isangel, Vanuatu · 19737 days ago · 36 km deep · 22 km away
  3. 6.360 km SSW of Isangel, Vanuatu · 19695 days ago · 30 km deep · 58 km away
  4. 7.068 km SSW of Isangel, Vanuatu · 19689 days ago · 18 km deep · 50 km away
  5. 5.543 km SSW of Isangel, Vanuatu · 19688 days ago · 10 km deep · 75 km away
  6. 5.877 km SW of Isangel, Vanuatu · 19688 days ago · 31 km deep · 46 km away
  7. 6.265 km S of Isangel, Vanuatu · 19688 days ago · 45 km deep · 56 km away
  8. 5.478 km SSW of Isangel, Vanuatu · 19687 days ago · 34 km deep · 39 km away

Before

  1. 5.7102 km SSW of Isangel, Vanuatu · 19739 days ago · 38 km deep · 16 km away
  2. 6.491 km S of Isangel, Vanuatu · 19739 days ago · 37 km deep · 33 km away
  3. 5.2120 km SSW of Isangel, Vanuatu · 19739 days ago · 54 km deep · 12 km away
  4. 5.8104 km SSW of Isangel, Vanuatu · 19739 days ago · 15 km deep · 18 km away
  5. 5.3105 km SW of Isangel, Vanuatu · 19740 days ago · 43 km deep · 27 km away
  6. 5.780 km SW of Isangel, Vanuatu · 19742 days ago · 52 km deep · 44 km away
  7. 6.291 km SW of Isangel, Vanuatu · 19743 days ago · 37 km deep · 35 km away
  8. 6.346 km SSW of Isangel, Vanuatu · 19747 days ago · 50 km deep · 71 km away

Earthquakes todayVanuatu earthquakesLive radar here

Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event iscgem769392. Read Tue, Sep 29, 2026, 8:06 PM UTC.