M4.6 earthquake 117 km N of Isangel, Vanuatu
A magnitude 4.6 earthquake struck 117 km N of Isangel, Vanuatu on Thu, Mar 18, 1976, 2:33 AM GMT+11 (15:33 UTC), 233 km (145 mi) below the surface.
A larger quake followed: M5.0 102 km N 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
- 4.6 (mb, body-wave), light
- Magnitude from
- USGS National Earthquake Information Center
- Local time
- UTC
- 1976-03-17 15:33:30 UTC
- Depth
- 233.0 km (144.8 mi), intermediate-depth
- Epicenter
- 18.480° S, 169.378° 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
- 8
Nearest places
Distance and direction from each place to the epicenter, with its forecast.
Nearby
Within 100 km, magnitude 1.6 and up: 1 in the 60 days after this one and 1 in the 30 days before it.
After
Before
Earthquakes todayVanuatu earthquakesLive radar here
Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp0000fga. Read Mon, Oct 5, 2026, 6:14 AM UTC.