M4.9 earthquake 163 km NW of Sola, Vanuatu
A magnitude 4.9 earthquake struck 163 km NW of Sola, Vanuatu on Tue, Oct 2, 1973, 11:18 AM GMT+11 (00:18 UTC), 134 km (83 mi) below the surface.
A larger quake followed: M5.6 105 km WNW 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
- 1973-10-02 00:18:01 UTC
- Depth
- 134.0 km (83.3 mi), intermediate-depth
- Epicenter
- 12.656° S, 166.696° 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
- 25
Nearby
Within 100 km, magnitude 1.9 and up: 4 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 usp00003n1. Read Tue, Sep 22, 2026, 10:57 AM UTC.