M3.8 earthquake 84 km NNE of Isangel, Vanuatu
A magnitude 3.8 earthquake struck 84 km NNE of Isangel, Vanuatu on Fri, Aug 16, 1985, 9:38 PM GMT+11 (10:38 UTC), 33 km (21 mi) below the surface.
A larger quake followed: M6.2 66 km NNE 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
- 3.8 (mb), minor
- Local time
- UTC
- 1985-08-16 10:38:56 UTC
- Depth
- 33.0 km (20.5 mi), shallow
- Epicenter
- 18.797° S, 169.475° 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: 9 in the 60 days after this one and 2 in the 30 days before it.
After
- 4.555 km N of Isangel, Vanuatu · 14975 days ago · 204 km deep · 32 km away
- 3.748 km NE of Isangel, Vanuatu · 14973 days ago · 33 km deep · 54 km away
- 4.775 km NW of Isangel, Vanuatu · 14973 days ago · 164 km deep · 67 km away
- 4.651 km NE of Isangel, Vanuatu · 14972 days ago · 33 km deep · 58 km away
- 5.559 km E of Isangel, Vanuatu · 14972 days ago · 38 km deep · 87 km away
- 3.820 km N of Isangel, Vanuatu · 14972 days ago · 222 km deep · 65 km away
- 4.323 km E of Isangel, Vanuatu · 14972 days ago · 65 km deep · 81 km away
- 6.266 km NNE of Isangel, Vanuatu · 14969 days ago · 273 km deep · 19 km away
- 4.0116 km N of Isangel, Vanuatu · 14969 days ago · 280 km deep · 33 km away
Before
Earthquakes todayVanuatu earthquakesLive radar here
Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp0002htu. Read Wed, Sep 30, 2026, 5:12 AM UTC.