Vanuatu earthquakes

M4.5 earthquake 63 km W of Port-Olry, Vanuatu

A magnitude 4.5 earthquake struck 63 km W of Port-Olry, Vanuatu on Sat, Dec 29, 1973, 5:13 AM GMT+12 (17:13 UTC), 33 km (21 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M5.0 72 km NW of Port-Olry, Vanuatu. This one was a foreshock.

Port-Vila forecastMore in Vanuatu

Map

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

Open the live map with earthquakes

The earthquake

Magnitude
4.5 (mb), light
Local time
UTC
1973-12-28 17:13:49 UTC
Depth
33.0 km (20.5 mi), shallow
Epicenter
15.003° S, 166.481° 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
10

Nearest places

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

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 1.5 and up: 64 in the 60 days after this one and 11 in the 30 days before it.

After

The first 60 of 64.

Before

Earthquakes todayVanuatu earthquakesLive radar here

Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp00004pm. Read Tue, Sep 22, 2026, 9:34 PM UTC.