M6.0 earthquake 132 km NW of Sola, Vanuatu
A magnitude 6.0 earthquake struck 132 km NW of Sola, Vanuatu on Mon, Jan 24, 1972, 5:04 AM GMT+11 (18:04 UTC), 20 km (12 mi) below the surface.
A larger quake followed: M6.9 138 km WNW 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
- 6.0 (mw), moderate
- Local time
- UTC
- 1972-01-23 18:04:00 UTC
- Depth
- 20.0 km (12.4 mi), shallow
- Epicenter
- 13.181° S, 166.560° 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
- ±0.49
- Depth from
- From location
Nearby
Within 100 km, magnitude 3.0 and up: 4 in the 60 days after this one and 1 in the 30 days before it.
After
- 6.9138 km WNW of Sola, Vanuatu · 19974 days ago · 56 km deep · 18 km away
- 5.9164 km WNW of Sola, Vanuatu · 19974 days ago · 10 km deep · 36 km away
- 6.1145 km WNW of Sola, Vanuatu · 19973 days ago · 51 km deep · 17 km away
- 5.688 km NNW of Sola, Vanuatu · 19935 days ago · 209 km deep · 68 km away
Before
Earthquakes todayVanuatu earthquakesLive radar here
Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event iscgem777161. Read Wed, Sep 30, 2026, 11:13 AM UTC.