M5.3 earthquake 23 km N of Norsup, Vanuatu
A magnitude 5.3 earthquake struck 23 km N of Norsup, Vanuatu on Sun, May 2, 1982, 4:46 AM GMT+11 (17:46 UTC), 33 km (21 mi) below the surface.
Map
Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.
The earthquake
- Magnitude
- 5.3 (Ms, surface-wave), moderate
- Magnitude from
- USGS National Earthquake Information Center
- Local time
- UTC
- 1982-05-01 17:46:49 UTC
- Depth
- 33.0 km (20.5 mi), shallow
- Epicenter
- 15.852° S, 167.417° E
- Region
- Vanuatu
- Tsunami flag
- No
- Status
- Reviewed by a seismologist
Magnitude estimates
Different scales measure different things and differ by a few tenths. The USGS marks one as preferred, and it is the one this page uses.
| Mag. | Scale | Computed by | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5.3 | Ms, surface-wave | USGS National Earthquake Information Center | Preferred · Reviewed · 3 stations |
| 5.51 | Mw, moment | ISC-GEM global catalog | Final · ±0.1 |
| 5.5 | Mwc, centroid moment | Global CMT project | Preliminary |
What happened
The USGS’s account of the effects of this earthquake.
CENTROID, MOMENT TENSOR SOLUTION HARVARD EVENT-FILE NAME B050182B DATA USED: GDSN L.P. BODY WAVES: 11S, 26C, T=45 CENTROID LOCATION: ORIGIN TIME 17:46:57.2 0.3 LAT 15.95S 0.05;LON 166.90E 0.04 DEP 54.0 3.0;HALF-DURATION 3.0 MOMENT TENSOR; SCALE 10**24 D-CM MRR=1.73 0.07; MTT=0.59 0.14 MFF=-2.32 0.13; MRT=-0.69 0.14 MRF=0.38 0.15; MTF=0.65 0.11 PRINCIPAL AXES: 1.(T) VAL=2.05;PLG=65;AZM=182 2.(N) 0.47; 24; 344 3.(P) -2.52; 7; 77 BEST DOUBLE COUPLE:M0=2.3*10**24 NP1:STRIKE=191;DIP=43;SLIP=126 NP2:Strike=327;Dip=56;Slip=61
From the USGS event page for usp0001m1q. U.S. Geological Survey text and figures are in the public domain.
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 2.3 and up: 2 in the 60 days after this one and 5 in the 30 days before it.
After
- 4.682 km ENE of Lakatoro, Vanuatu · 16215 days ago · 33 km deep · 74 km away
- 4.351 km NE of Norsup, Vanuatu · 16178 days ago · 155 km deep · 41 km away
Before
- 4.625 km ENE of Luganville, Vanuatu · 16228 days ago · 120 km deep · 43 km away
- 5.733 km E of Port-Olry, Vanuatu · 16231 days ago · 119 km deep · 89 km away
- 4.532 km E of Luganville, Vanuatu · 16232 days ago · 116 km deep · 39 km away
- 5.117 km E of Port-Olry, Vanuatu · 16241 days ago · 125 km deep · 91 km away
- 5.135 km NE of Luganville, Vanuatu · 16253 days ago · 133 km deep · 66 km away
Earthquakes todayVanuatu earthquakesLive radar here
Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp0001m1q (also filed as gcmtb050182b, gcmt19820501174649, iscgem598124). Read Thu, Oct 1, 2026, 9:47 PM UTC.