M6.8 earthquake 64 km SE of Isangel, Vanuatu
A magnitude 6.8 earthquake struck 64 km SE of Isangel, Vanuatu on Mon, Dec 10, 1973, 6:55 AM GMT+11 (19:55 UTC), 39 km (24 mi) below the surface.
Map
Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.
The earthquake
- Magnitude
- 6.8 (Ms, surface-wave), strong
- Magnitude from
- USGS National Earthquake Information Center
- Local time
- UTC
- 1973-12-09 19:55:45 UTC
- Depth
- 39.0 km (24.2 mi), shallow
- Epicenter
- 19.912° S, 169.751° E
- Region
- Vanuatu
- Strongest shaking
- VII, very strong shaking
- Tsunami flag
- No
- Status
- Reviewed by a seismologist
Magnitude estimates
Different scales measure different things and differ by a few tenths. The USGS marks one as preferred, and it is the one this page uses.
| Mag. | Scale | Computed by | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6.8 | Ms, surface-wave | USGS National Earthquake Information Center | Preferred · Reviewed |
| 6.77 | Mw, moment | ISC-GEM global catalog | Final · ±0.24 |
Shaking
The USGS ShakeMap: shaking estimated from seismic stations and the quake’s size, on the Modified Mercalli intensity scale.
- Strongest estimated
- VII, very strong shaking
- Map
- Automatic
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
- 54
Nearest places
Distance and direction from each place to the epicenter, with its forecast.
Nearby
Within 100 km, magnitude 3.8 and up: 5 in the 60 days after this one and 0 in the 30 days before it.
After
- 6.368 km ESE of Isangel, Vanuatu · 19292 days ago · 34 km deep · 21 km away
- 4.657 km SSE of Isangel, Vanuatu · 19271 days ago · 101 km deep · 29 km away
- 5.0104 km ESE of Isangel, Vanuatu · 19266 days ago · 33 km deep · 43 km away
- 4.883 km SSE of Isangel, Vanuatu · 19249 days ago · 41 km deep · 31 km away
- 5.653 km NNE of Isangel, Vanuatu · 19238 days ago · 269 km deep · 94 km away
Earthquakes todayVanuatu earthquakesLive radar here
Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp00004ga (also filed as atlas19731209195547, iscgem753446). Read Mon, Oct 5, 2026, 5:31 AM UTC.