M6.2 earthquake 66 km NNE of Isangel, Vanuatu
A magnitude 6.2 earthquake struck 66 km NNE of Isangel, Vanuatu on Mon, Oct 7, 1985, 12:00 AM GMT+12 (12:00 UTC), 273 km (169 mi) below the surface.
Map
Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.
The earthquake
- Magnitude
- 6.2 (Mw, moment), strong
- Magnitude from
- USGS National Earthquake Information Center
- Local time
- UTC
- 1985-10-06 12:00:49 UTC
- Depth
- 272.5 km (169.3 mi), intermediate-depth
- Epicenter
- 18.961° S, 169.432° 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6.2 | Mw, moment | USGS National Earthquake Information Center | Preferred · Reviewed |
| 6.1 | Mw, moment | ISC-GEM global catalog | Final · ±0.1 |
| 6.1 | Mwc, centroid moment | Global CMT project | Preliminary |
What happened
The USGS’s account of the effects of this earthquake.
FAULT PLANE SOLUTION: P-Waves NP1:Strike=149 Dip=85 Slip=18 NP2:Strike=57 Dip=72 Slip=175 Principal Axes: (T) Plg=16 Azm=15 (P) Plg=9 Azm=282 Comment: The focal mechanism is moderately well controlled and corresponds to strike-slip faulting with a moderate reverse component. The preferred fault plane is not determined. MOMENT TENSOR SOLUTION Dep 252 No. of sta: 6 Moment Tensor; Scale 10**25 d-cm Mrr=0.64 Mtt=1.15 Mff=-1.79 Mrt=1.00 Mrf=-0.17 Mtf=-1.14 Principal axes: (T) Val=2.19 Plg=33 Azm=18 (N) Val=0.00 Plg=57 Azm=206 (P) Val=-2.19 Plg=4 Azm=110 Best Double Couple:Mo=2.2*10**25 NP1:Strike=159 Dip=64 Slip=22 NP2:Strike=59 Dip=70 Slip=153 CENTROID, MOMENT TENSOR (HRV) Data Used: GDSN L.P.B.: 13S, 30C Centroid Location: Origin Time 12:00:52.3 0.4 Lat 19.20S 0.03 Lon 169.47E 0.03 Dep 265.9 1.0 Half-duration 4.2 Moment Tensor; Scale 10**24 D-CM Mrr=9.34 0.25 Mtt=-0.10 0.42 Mff=-9.23 0.43 Mrt=5.91 0.33 Mrf=-9.97 0.34 Mtf=-9.47 0.36 Principal Axes: (T) Val=18.54 Plg=50 Azm=43 (N) Val=-2.03 Plg=36 Azm=195 (P) Val=-16.51 Plg=14 Azm=296 Best Double Couple:Mo=1.8*10**25 NP1:Strike=64 Dip=44 Slip=148 NP2:Strike=178 Dip=68 Slip=51
From the USGS event page for usp0002khr. 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.
Nearest places
Distance and direction from each place to the epicenter, with its forecast.
Nearby
Within 100 km, magnitude 3.2 and up: 1 in the 60 days after this one and 7 in the 30 days before it.
After
Before
- 4.323 km E of Isangel, Vanuatu · 14973 days ago · 65 km deep · 63 km away
- 3.820 km N of Isangel, Vanuatu · 14974 days ago · 222 km deep · 47 km away
- 5.559 km E of Isangel, Vanuatu · 14974 days ago · 38 km deep · 74 km away
- 4.651 km NE of Isangel, Vanuatu · 14974 days ago · 33 km deep · 44 km away
- 4.775 km NW of Isangel, Vanuatu · 14974 days ago · 164 km deep · 60 km away
- 3.748 km NE of Isangel, Vanuatu · 14974 days ago · 33 km deep · 39 km away
- 4.555 km N of Isangel, Vanuatu · 14976 days ago · 204 km deep · 15 km away
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Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp0002khr (also filed as gcmtb100685b, gcmt19851006120047, iscgem512703). Read Thu, Oct 1, 2026, 1:41 PM UTC.