July 13, 1952 Earthquake: Vanuatu Islands
A magnitude 6.8 earthquake struck Vanuatu Islands on July 13, 1952 at 11:58:33 UTC, 260 km below the surface. It caused a tsunami.
Map
Where it struck, with the other significant earthquakes within 200 km. Circles are sized and colored by magnitude; select one for its page.
The earthquake
- Date
- July 13, 1952
- Time
- 11:58:33 UTC
- Place
- Vanuatu Islands
- Magnitude
- 6.8 (Ms)
- Focal depth
- 260 km (162 mi)
- Tsunami
- Yes: the tsunami it caused
- Epicenter
- 18.500° S, 169.250° E
- Country
- Vanuatu
The toll
The record gives no deaths, injuries or damage for this earthquake.
What the record says
NCEI’s account, from the sources it cites.
Reference #236:
1952, July 13, 11:59. A magnitude 7.0 earthquake (18.7 S, 170.3 E, 260 km depth) in the New Hebrides was reported by Zerbe (1953) to have produced a wave recorded at one station, believed to be Canton. Iida et al. (1967) could not find oscillations of a tsunami character and therefore concluded that a tsunami was not generated. Pararas-Carayannis and Dong (1980) report a minor trace of a tsunami was recorded at the tide gage of Pago Pago that was attributed to the earthquake that occurred on this date in the New Hebrides.
Reference #130:
1952, July 13, 11:58:33. 18.5 S, 169.25 E, magnitude 6.8, depth 260 km.
Reference #9910:
1952, July 13, 11:58:33. 18.5 S, 169.25 E, magnitude 6.8, depth 260 km.
Other significant earthquakes nearby
Within 200 km, the deadliest first.
- March 28, 1875, Lifou Island, Loyalty Islands, New Caledonia
- December 17, 2024, Efate, Port Vila, Vanuatu Islands
- June 16, 1910, Vanuatu Islands
- November 24, 1944, Vanuatu Islands
- July 2, 1953, Vanuatu Islands
- November 10, 1913, Vanuatu Islands
- April 14, 2012, Vanuatu Islands
- March 22, 1925, Vanuatu Islands
- March 9, 2012, Vanuatu Islands
- July 23, 1961, Vanuatu Islands
- August 17, 1863, Vanuatu Islands
- January 10, 1878, Tanna Island, Vanuatu
- February 11, 1878, Vanuatu Islands
- August 1878, Vanuatu Islands
- August 20, 2011, Vanuatu Islands
More
Significant earthquakes of 1952The 1900sEvery quake the USGS located in 1952Recent earthquakes near hereThis day in weather history
Sources
Significant earthquakes from NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information, Global Historical Hazard Database, cited as NCEI/WDS, doi:10.7289/V5PN93H7. Public domain. Read 2026-09-24. NCEI earthquake 9916.