M5.5 earthquake 91 km ENE of Lakatoro, Vanuatu
A magnitude 5.5 earthquake struck 91 km ENE of Lakatoro, Vanuatu on Fri, Jul 20, 1973, 3:25 AM GMT+11 (16:25 UTC), 28 km (17 mi) below the surface.
A larger quake followed: M5.7 74 km E of Lakatoro, Vanuatu. This one was a foreshock.
Map
Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.
The earthquake
- Magnitude
- 5.5 (mb), moderate
- Local time
- UTC
- 1973-07-19 16:25:31 UTC
- Depth
- 28.0 km (17.4 mi), shallow
- Epicenter
- 15.792° S, 168.210° E
- Region
- Vanuatu
- Strongest shaking
- VI, strong shaking
- Tsunami flag
- No
- Status
- Reviewed by a seismologist
Shaking
The USGS ShakeMap: shaking estimated from seismic stations and the quake’s size, on the Modified Mercalli intensity scale.
- Strongest estimated
- VI, strong shaking
- Peak ground acceleration
- 14.0% of gravity
- Peak ground velocity
- 1.9 cm/s
- 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
- 18
Nearest places
Distance and direction from each place to the epicenter, with its forecast.
Nearby
Within 100 km, magnitude 2.5 and up: 1 in the 60 days after this one and 1 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 usp00002s2. Read Tue, Sep 22, 2026, 8:58 PM UTC.