M5.3 earthquake 32 km ENE of Lakatoro, Vanuatu
A magnitude 5.3 earthquake struck 32 km ENE of Lakatoro, Vanuatu on Thu, May 11, 1972, 2:48 PM GMT+11 (03:48 UTC), 47 km (29 mi) below the surface.
A larger quake followed: M5.8 12 km SSE of Luganville, Vanuatu. This one was a foreshock.
Map
Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.
The earthquake
- Magnitude
- 5.3 (mw), moderate
- Local time
- UTC
- 1972-05-11 03:48:52 UTC
- Depth
- 47.4 km (29.5 mi), shallow
- Epicenter
- 16.013° S, 167.703° 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
- ±0.55
- 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: 2 in the 60 days after this one and 1 in the 30 days before it.
After
- 5.812 km SSE of Luganville, Vanuatu · 19849 days ago · 25 km deep · 69 km away
- 5.765 km ENE of Lakatoro, Vanuatu · 19830 days ago · 168 km deep · 33 km away
Before
Earthquakes todayVanuatu earthquakesLive radar here
Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event iscgem773351. Read Tue, Sep 22, 2026, 4:15 PM UTC.