Vanuatu earthquakes

M5.3 earthquake 184 km NW of Sola, Vanuatu

A magnitude 5.3 earthquake struck 184 km NW of Sola, Vanuatu on Tue, Dec 18, 1973, 7:35 AM GMT+11 (20:35 UTC), 33 km (21 mi) below the surface.

More 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
5.3 (mb), moderate
Local time
UTC
1973-12-17 20:35:45 UTC
Depth
33.0 km (20.5 mi), shallow
Epicenter
12.541° S, 166.531° 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.

Depth from
OPERATOR_ASSIGNED
Stations used
38

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 2.3 and up: 2 in the 60 days after this one and 3 in the 30 days before it.

After

  1. 4.6137 km SSE of Lata, Solomon Islands · 19242 days ago · 97 km deep · 80 km away
  2. 5.0197 km SSE of Lata, Solomon Islands · 19231 days ago · 48 km deep · 20 km away

Before

  1. 4.7168 km S of Lata, Solomon Islands · 19288 days ago · 31 km deep · 60 km away
  2. 5.3181 km NW of Sola, Vanuatu · 19291 days ago · 124 km deep · 8 km away
  3. 4.9186 km NNW of Sola, Vanuatu · 19291 days ago · 218 km deep · 60 km away

Earthquakes todayVanuatu earthquakesLive radar here

Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp00004jx. Read Tue, Sep 22, 2026, 8:28 PM UTC.