M5.3 earthquake 96 km S of Isangel, Vanuatu
A magnitude 5.3 earthquake struck 96 km S of Isangel, Vanuatu on Sat, May 9, 1981, 8:40 PM GMT+11 (09:40 UTC), 58 km (36 mi) below the surface.
A larger quake followed: M5.5 63 km SSW 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
- 5.3 (mb), moderate
- Local time
- UTC
- 1981-05-09 09:40:00 UTC
- Depth
- 57.5 km (35.7 mi), shallow
- Epicenter
- 20.417° S, 169.276° 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.
Nearest places
Distance and direction from each place to the epicenter, with its forecast.
Nearby
Within 100 km, magnitude 2.3 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 usp0001dkk (also filed as gcmtb050981b, gcmt19810509094000, iscgem626396). Read Tue, Sep 22, 2026, 4:18 PM UTC.