Vanuatu earthquakes

M4.5 earthquake 243 km SSE of Isangel, Vanuatu

A magnitude 4.5 earthquake struck 243 km SSE of Isangel, Vanuatu on Fri, Nov 6, 1981, 11:12 AM GMT+11 (00:12 UTC), 33 km (21 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M4.8 234 km E of Tadine, New Caledonia. This one was a foreshock.

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Map

Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.

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The earthquake

Magnitude
4.5 (mb), light
Local time
UTC
1981-11-06 00:12:51 UTC
Depth
33.0 km (20.5 mi), shallow
Epicenter
21.526° S, 170.285° 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
OPERATOR_ASSIGNED

Nearest places

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

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 1.5 and up: 22 in the 60 days after this one and 3 in the 30 days before it.

After

  1. 4.8234 km E of Tadine, New Caledonia · 16391 days ago · 33 km deep · 15 km away
  2. 4.5215 km E of Tadine, New Caledonia · 16391 days ago · 33 km deep · 33 km away
  3. 4.6235 km E of Tadine, New Caledonia · 16391 days ago · 33 km deep · 14 km away
  4. 4.5221 km E of Tadine, New Caledonia · 16391 days ago · 33 km deep · 28 km away
  5. 4.5204 km SSE of Isangel, Vanuatu · 16390 days ago · 33 km deep · 40 km away
  6. 4.7197 km E of Tadine, New Caledonia · 16390 days ago · 33 km deep · 53 km away
  7. 4.4184 km E of Tadine, New Caledonia · 16390 days ago · 33 km deep · 66 km away
  8. 4.7210 km E of Tadine, New Caledonia · 16390 days ago · 33 km deep · 43 km away
  9. 4.8186 km E of Tadine, New Caledonia · 16389 days ago · 33 km deep · 65 km away
  10. 5.1193 km E of Tadine, New Caledonia · 16389 days ago · 33 km deep · 57 km away
  11. 4.9188 km E of Tadine, New Caledonia · 16388 days ago · 33 km deep · 61 km away
  12. 5.3262 km E of Tadine, New Caledonia · 16386 days ago · 120 km deep · 20 km away
  13. 4.7234 km E of Tadine, New Caledonia · 16384 days ago · 33 km deep · 16 km away
  14. 4.6229 km E of Tadine, New Caledonia · 16384 days ago · 33 km deep · 20 km away
  15. 4.8190 km E of Tadine, New Caledonia · 16381 days ago · 33 km deep · 62 km away
  16. 4.5233 km E of Tadine, New Caledonia · 16380 days ago · 33 km deep · 29 km away
  17. 4.9193 km ESE of Tadine, New Caledonia · 16379 days ago · 33 km deep · 74 km away
  18. 4.0260 km E of Tadine, New Caledonia · 16376 days ago · 33 km deep · 20 km away
  19. 6.2291 km ESE of Tadine, New Caledonia · 16372 days ago · 33 km deep · 98 km away
  20. 4.9281 km ESE of Tadine, New Caledonia · 16372 days ago · 33 km deep · 99 km away
  21. 4.4256 km SSE of Isangel, Vanuatu · 16356 days ago · 155 km deep · 14 km away
  22. 4.1237 km ESE of Tadine, New Caledonia · 16353 days ago · 33 km deep · 65 km away

Before

  1. 4.6240 km E of Tadine, New Caledonia · 16392 days ago · 33 km deep · 10 km away
  2. 4.4222 km SSE of Isangel, Vanuatu · 16392 days ago · 33 km deep · 26 km away
  3. 5.8234 km E of Tadine, New Caledonia · 16392 days ago · 33 km deep · 15 km away

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Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp0001gty. Read Tue, Sep 22, 2026, 7:24 AM UTC.