Vanuatu earthquakes

M7.2 earthquake 58 km S of Lakatoro, Vanuatu

A magnitude 7.2 earthquake struck 58 km S of Lakatoro, Vanuatu on Wed, Jul 13, 1994, 1:35 PM GMT+11 (02:35 UTC), 33 km (21 mi) below the surface.

Port-Vila forecast 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: 7.2 (mw), major
Local time: Wed, Jul 13, 1994, 1:35 PM GMT+11
UTC: 1994-07-13 02:35:56 UTC
Depth: 33.0 km (20.5 mi), shallow
Epicenter: 16.620° S, 167.518° E
Region: Vanuatu
Strongest shaking: VII, very strong shaking
Tsunami flag: No
Status: Reviewed by a seismologist

Shaking

The USGS ShakeMap: shaking estimated from seismic stations and the quake’s size, on the Modified Mercalli intensity scale.

Strongest estimated: VII, very strong shaking
Peak ground acceleration: 29.8% of gravity
Peak ground velocity: 3.2 cm/s
Map: Automatic

USGS ShakeMap: estimated shaking intensity around the epicenter — Estimated shaking intensity. Map: USGS ShakeMap.

Did you feel it?

No one has reported feeling this quake to the USGS.

Fault motion and ground failure

How the rock slipped, from the moment tensor, and the USGS estimate of landslides and liquefaction.

Faulting: Strike-slip
Moment magnitude: 7.1 Mww
Nodal plane 1: Strike 263°, dip 51°, rake 0°
Nodal plane 2: Strike 173°, dip 89°, rake 141°

How well it is located

Reviewed by a seismologist.

Depth from: OPERATOR_ASSIGNED

Nearest places

Distance and direction from each place to the epicenter, with its forecast.

Port-Vila, VanuatuPopulation 35,901. Forecast150 kmNW

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 2.5 and up: 89 in the 60 days after this one and 2 in the 30 days before it.

After

The first 60 of 89.

Before

Earthquakes today Vanuatu earthquakes Live radar here

Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp0006fjg (also filed as choy19940713023556, gcmtc071394b, gcmt19940713023555, duputel071394b, atlas19940713023558, iscgem164393). Read Tue, Sep 22, 2026, 8:45 PM UTC.