M6.3 earthquake Vanuatu region
A magnitude 6.3 earthquake struck in the Vanuatu region on Sun, Jan 23, 1972, 9:50 AM GMT+12 (21:50 UTC), 10 km (6 mi) below the surface.
Map
Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.
The earthquake
- Magnitude
- 6.3 (mw), strong
- Local time
- UTC
- 1972-01-22 21:50:38 UTC
- Depth
- 10.0 km (6.2 mi), shallow
- Epicenter
- 20.406° S, 172.930° 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
- ±0.21
- Depth from
- From location
Nearby
Within 100 km, magnitude 3.3 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 iscgem777137. Read Mon, Sep 28, 2026, 6:25 AM UTC.