M5.1 earthquake 167 km NW of Sola, Vanuatu
A magnitude 5.1 earthquake struck 167 km NW of Sola, Vanuatu on Thu, May 4, 1972, 5:48 AM GMT+11 (18:48 UTC), 50 km (31 mi) below the surface.
A larger quake followed: M5.5 170 km NNW of Sola, Vanuatu. This one was a foreshock.
Map
Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.
The earthquake
- Magnitude
- 5.1 (mw), moderate
- Local time
- UTC
- 1972-05-03 18:48:37 UTC
- Depth
- 49.6 km (30.8 mi), shallow
- Epicenter
- 12.899° S, 166.367° 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
Nearby
Within 100 km, magnitude 2.1 and up: 1 in the 60 days after this one and 0 in the 30 days before it.
After
Earthquakes todayVanuatu earthquakesLive radar here
Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event iscgem773111. Read Mon, Sep 28, 2026, 11:42 AM UTC.