M5.0 earthquake 59 km NNE of Isangel, Vanuatu
A magnitude 5.0 earthquake struck 59 km NNE of Isangel, Vanuatu on Sun, Dec 9, 1973, 1:08 AM GMT+11 (14:08 UTC), 242 km (150 mi) below the surface.
A larger quake followed: M6.3 68 km ESE of Isangel, Vanuatu. This one was a foreshock.
Map
Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.
The earthquake
- Magnitude
- 5.0 (mb), moderate
- Local time
- UTC
- 1973-12-08 14:08:45 UTC
- Depth
- 242.0 km (150.4 mi), intermediate-depth
- Epicenter
- 19.016° S, 169.398° 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
- 48
Nearest places
Distance and direction from each place to the epicenter, with its forecast.
Nearby
Within 100 km, magnitude 2.0 and up: 3 in the 60 days after this one and 1 in the 30 days before it.
After
- 6.368 km ESE of Isangel, Vanuatu · 19280 days ago · 34 km deep · 98 km away
- 5.0Vanuatu · 19255 days ago · 252 km deep · 10 km away
- 5.653 km NNE of Isangel, Vanuatu · 19225 days ago · 269 km deep · 14 km away
Before
Earthquakes todayVanuatu earthquakesLive radar here
Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp00004fv. Read Tue, Sep 22, 2026, 3:35 PM UTC.