Vanuatu earthquakes

M5.7 earthquake 42 km SW of Isangel, Vanuatu

A magnitude 5.7 earthquake struck 42 km SW of Isangel, Vanuatu on Mon, Jan 29, 1973, 4:43 AM GMT+11 (17:43 UTC), 72 km (45 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M6.0 68 km NW of Isangel, Vanuatu. This one was a foreshock.

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The earthquake

Magnitude
5.7 (mb), moderate
Local time
UTC
1973-01-28 17:43:14 UTC
Depth
72.0 km (44.7 mi), intermediate-depth
Epicenter
19.847° S, 169.029° 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.

Stations used
150

Nearest places

Distance and direction from each place to the epicenter, with its forecast.

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 2.5 and up: 5 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 usp00000ap (also filed as iscgem765373). Read Tue, Sep 22, 2026, 7:28 AM UTC.