M4.9 earthquake 63 km WNW of Sola, Vanuatu
A magnitude 4.9 earthquake struck 63 km WNW of Sola, Vanuatu on Sat, Jan 27, 1973, 11:38 PM GMT+11 (12:38 UTC), 130 km (81 mi) below the surface.
A larger quake followed: M5.0 86 km NW of Sola, Vanuatu. This one was a foreshock.
Map
Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.
The earthquake
- Magnitude
- 4.9 (mb), light
- Local time
- UTC
- 1973-01-27 12:38:59 UTC
- Depth
- 130.0 km (80.8 mi), intermediate-depth
- Epicenter
- 13.574° S, 167.056° 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
- 12
Nearby
Within 100 km, magnitude 1.9 and up: 2 in the 60 days after this one and 2 in the 30 days before it.
After
- 4.267 km SSW of Sola, Vanuatu · 19594 days ago · 178 km deep · 97 km away
- 5.086 km NW of Sola, Vanuatu · 19571 days ago · 131 km deep · 25 km away
Before
Earthquakes todayVanuatu earthquakesLive radar here
Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp00000a9. Read Wed, Sep 30, 2026, 5:14 PM UTC.