M5.6 earthquake 105 km SE of Lakatoro, Vanuatu
A magnitude 5.6 earthquake struck 105 km SE of Lakatoro, Vanuatu on Sun, Dec 16, 1973, 9:57 AM GMT+11 (22:57 UTC), 7 km (4 mi) below the surface.
Map
Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.
The earthquake
- Magnitude
- 5.6 (mb), moderate
- Local time
- UTC
- 1973-12-15 22:57:02 UTC
- Depth
- 7.0 km (4.3 mi), shallow
- Epicenter
- 16.767° S, 168.128° E
- Region
- Vanuatu
- Strongest shaking
- VII, very 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
- VII, very strong shaking
- Peak ground acceleration
- 27.8% of gravity
- Peak ground velocity
- 2.9 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
- 42
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 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 usp00004jb (also filed as atlas19731215225702). Read Tue, Sep 22, 2026, 11:13 AM UTC.