M5.0 earthquake Vanuatu
A magnitude 5.0 earthquake struck in Vanuatu on Fri, Jan 4, 1974, 12:42 AM GMT+12 (12:42 UTC), 252 km (157 mi) below the surface.
A larger quake followed: M5.6 53 km NNE of Isangel, Vanuatu. This one was a foreshock.
Map
Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.
The earthquake
- Magnitude
- 5.0 (mb), moderate
- Local time
- UTC
- 1974-01-03 12:42:48 UTC
- Depth
- 252.0 km (156.6 mi), intermediate-depth
- Epicenter
- 18.925° S, 169.374° 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
- 14
Nearest places
Distance and direction from each place to the epicenter, with its forecast.
Nearby
Within 100 km, magnitude 2.0 and up: 2 in the 60 days after this one and 1 in the 30 days before it.
After
- 5.653 km NNE of Isangel, Vanuatu · 19227 days ago · 269 km deep · 23 km away
- 5.5Vanuatu · 19201 days ago · 14 km deep · 56 km away
Before
Earthquakes todayVanuatu earthquakesLive radar here
Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp00004sw. Read Thu, Sep 24, 2026, 8:09 AM UTC.