Vanuatu earthquakes

M5.7 earthquake 74 km SW of Isangel, Vanuatu

A magnitude 5.7 earthquake struck 74 km SW of Isangel, Vanuatu on Sat, Sep 16, 1972, 12:18 AM GMT+11 (13:18 UTC), 32 km (20 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
5.7 (mw), moderate
Local time
UTC
1972-09-15 13:18:48 UTC
Depth
32.3 km (20.1 mi), shallow
Epicenter
20.019° S, 168.775° 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 2.7 and up: 9 in the 60 days after this one and 9 in the 30 days before it.

After

  1. 5.8123 km SSW of Isangel, Vanuatu · 19735 days ago · 36 km deep · 53 km away
  2. 6.360 km SSW of Isangel, Vanuatu · 19694 days ago · 30 km deep · 23 km away
  3. 7.068 km SSW of Isangel, Vanuatu · 19687 days ago · 18 km deep · 21 km away
  4. 5.543 km SSW of Isangel, Vanuatu · 19686 days ago · 10 km deep · 42 km away
  5. 5.877 km SW of Isangel, Vanuatu · 19686 days ago · 31 km deep · 12 km away
  6. 5.513 km ESE of Isangel, Vanuatu · 19686 days ago · 20 km deep · 83 km away
  7. 6.265 km S of Isangel, Vanuatu · 19686 days ago · 45 km deep · 45 km away
  8. 5.478 km SSW of Isangel, Vanuatu · 19685 days ago · 34 km deep · 26 km away
  9. 5.821 km ESE of Isangel, Vanuatu · 19680 days ago · 15 km deep · 85 km away

Before

  1. 5.6117 km SSW of Isangel, Vanuatu · 19737 days ago · 20 km deep · 57 km away
  2. 5.7102 km SSW of Isangel, Vanuatu · 19737 days ago · 38 km deep · 42 km away
  3. 6.491 km S of Isangel, Vanuatu · 19737 days ago · 37 km deep · 52 km away
  4. 5.2120 km SSW of Isangel, Vanuatu · 19737 days ago · 54 km deep · 54 km away
  5. 5.8104 km SSW of Isangel, Vanuatu · 19737 days ago · 15 km deep · 39 km away
  6. 5.3105 km SW of Isangel, Vanuatu · 19738 days ago · 43 km deep · 35 km away
  7. 5.780 km SW of Isangel, Vanuatu · 19740 days ago · 52 km deep · 13 km away
  8. 6.291 km SW of Isangel, Vanuatu · 19741 days ago · 37 km deep · 22 km away
  9. 6.346 km SSW of Isangel, Vanuatu · 19745 days ago · 50 km deep · 38 km away

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Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event iscgem769415. Read Sun, Sep 27, 2026, 9:01 PM UTC.