Vanuatu earthquakes

M4.6 earthquake 51 km NE of Isangel, Vanuatu

A magnitude 4.6 earthquake struck 51 km NE of Isangel, Vanuatu on Thu, Oct 3, 1985, 8:36 AM GMT+12 (20:36 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.

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

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The earthquake

Magnitude
4.6 (mb), light
Local time
UTC
1985-10-02 20:36:20 UTC
Depth
33.0 km (20.5 mi), shallow
Epicenter
19.276° S, 169.684° 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 1.6 and up: 6 in the 60 days after this one and 3 in the 30 days before it.

After

  1. 5.559 km E of Isangel, Vanuatu · 14970 days ago · 38 km deep · 30 km away
  2. 3.934 km S of Isangel, Vanuatu · 14970 days ago · 82 km deep · 75 km away
  3. 3.820 km N of Isangel, Vanuatu · 14970 days ago · 222 km deep · 44 km away
  4. 4.323 km E of Isangel, Vanuatu · 14970 days ago · 65 km deep · 34 km away
  5. 6.266 km NNE of Isangel, Vanuatu · 14967 days ago · 273 km deep · 44 km away
  6. 4.0116 km N of Isangel, Vanuatu · 14967 days ago · 280 km deep · 89 km away

Before

  1. 4.775 km NW of Isangel, Vanuatu · 14970 days ago · 164 km deep · 92 km away
  2. 3.748 km NE of Isangel, Vanuatu · 14971 days ago · 33 km deep · 6 km away
  3. 4.555 km N of Isangel, Vanuatu · 14973 days ago · 204 km deep · 46 km away

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Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp0002kd7. Read Mon, Sep 28, 2026, 2:49 AM UTC.