Vanuatu earthquakes

M6.0 earthquake 38 km ESE of Port-Olry, Vanuatu

A magnitude 6.0 earthquake struck 38 km ESE of Port-Olry, Vanuatu on Fri, Nov 30, 1973, 7:09 PM GMT+11 (08:09 UTC), 124 km (77 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M7.2 20 km WSW of Port-Olry, Vanuatu. This one was a foreshock.

Port-Vila forecast More in Vanuatu

Map

Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.

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The earthquake

Magnitude: 6.0 (mb), strong
Local time: Fri, Nov 30, 1973, 7:09 PM GMT+11
UTC: 1973-11-30 08:09:55 UTC
Depth: 124.0 km (77.1 mi), intermediate-depth
Epicenter: 15.198° S, 167.391° E
Region: Vanuatu
Strongest shaking: IV, light 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: IV, light shaking
Peak ground acceleration: 3.2% of gravity
Peak ground velocity: 0.3 cm/s
Map: Automatic

USGS ShakeMap: estimated shaking intensity around the epicenter — Estimated shaking intensity. Map: USGS ShakeMap.

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: 113

Nearest places

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

Port-Vila, VanuatuPopulation 35,901. Forecast299 kmNNW

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 2.5 and up: 33 in the 60 days after this one and 0 in the 30 days before it.

After

Earthquakes today Vanuatu earthquakes Live radar here

Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp00004c8 (also filed as iscgem754980, iscgemsup754980). Read Tue, Sep 22, 2026, 8:01 AM UTC.