M4.8 earthquake 48 km SSE of Isangel, Vanuatu
A magnitude 4.8 earthquake struck 48 km SSE of Isangel, Vanuatu on Thu, Feb 12, 1981, 9:05 PM GMT+11 (10:05 UTC), 38 km (23 mi) below the surface.
A larger quake followed: M5.0 41 km NNW 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
- 4.8 (mb), light
- Local time
- UTC
- 1981-02-12 10:05:58 UTC
- Depth
- 37.6 km (23.4 mi), shallow
- Epicenter
- 19.913° S, 169.524° 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.
- Depth from
- FROM_LOCATION
Nearest places
Distance and direction from each place to the epicenter, with its forecast.
Nearby
Within 100 km, magnitude 1.8 and up: 2 in the 60 days after this one and 0 in the 30 days before it.
After
Earthquakes todayVanuatu earthquakesLive radar here
Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp0001c4r. Read Wed, Sep 30, 2026, 9:03 AM UTC.