M5.5 earthquake Vanuatu
A magnitude 5.5 earthquake struck in Vanuatu on Fri, Mar 1, 1974, 12:59 AM GMT+12 (12:59 UTC), 14 km (9 mi) below the surface.
A larger quake followed: M6.1 73 km SE 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
- 5.5 (mb), moderate
- Local time
- UTC
- 1974-02-28 12:59:29 UTC
- Depth
- 14.0 km (8.7 mi), shallow
- Epicenter
- 19.201° S, 169.824° 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
- 17
Nearest places
Distance and direction from each place to the epicenter, with its forecast.
Nearby
Within 100 km, magnitude 2.5 and up: 6 in the 60 days after this one and 1 in the 30 days before it.
After
- 6.173 km SE of Isangel, Vanuatu · 19198 days ago · 17 km deep · 96 km away
- 5.160 km SSE of Isangel, Vanuatu · 19197 days ago · 53 km deep · 99 km away
- 4.895 km N of Isangel, Vanuatu · 19195 days ago · 247 km deep · 91 km away
- 5.467 km NNE of Isangel, Vanuatu · 19191 days ago · 286 km deep · 36 km away
- 5.376 km NNE of Isangel, Vanuatu · 19170 days ago · 229 km deep · 47 km away
- 5.1100 km N of Isangel, Vanuatu · 19158 days ago · 244 km deep · 89 km away
Before
Earthquakes todayVanuatu earthquakesLive radar here
Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp00005eq. Read Thu, Sep 24, 2026, 2:24 AM UTC.