M5.9 earthquake 164 km WNW of Sola, Vanuatu
A magnitude 5.9 earthquake struck 164 km WNW of Sola, Vanuatu on Mon, Jan 24, 1972, 8:34 AM GMT+11 (21:34 UTC), 10 km (6 mi) below the surface.
A larger quake followed: M6.1 145 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
- 5.9 (mw), moderate
- Local time
- UTC
- 1972-01-23 21:34:36 UTC
- Depth
- 10.0 km (6.2 mi), shallow
- Epicenter
- 13.135° S, 166.233° 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
- ±0.25
- Depth from
- From location
Nearby
Within 100 km, magnitude 2.9 and up: 1 in the 60 days after this one and 3 in the 30 days before it.
After
Before
Earthquakes todayVanuatu earthquakesLive radar here
Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event iscgem777165. Read Thu, Oct 1, 2026, 2:29 AM UTC.