M5.9 earthquake 59 km SSW of Lakatoro, Vanuatu
A magnitude 5.9 earthquake struck 59 km SSW of Lakatoro, Vanuatu on Wed, Sep 24, 1986, 12:30 AM GMT+11 (13:30 UTC), 19 km (12 mi) below the surface.
Map
Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.
The earthquake
- Magnitude
- 5.9 (mw), moderate
- Local time
- UTC
- 1986-09-23 13:30:15 UTC
- Depth
- 19.0 km (11.8 mi), shallow
- Epicenter
- 16.621° S, 167.265° E
- Region
- Vanuatu
- Strongest shaking
- V, moderate shaking
- Tsunami flag
- No
- Status
- Reviewed by a seismologist
Shaking
The USGS ShakeMap: shaking estimated from seismic stations and the quake’s size, on the Modified Mercalli intensity scale.
- Strongest estimated
- V, moderate shaking
- Peak ground acceleration
- 10.8% of gravity
- Peak ground velocity
- 1.9 cm/s
- Map
- Automatic
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
- CONSTRAINED_BY_DEPTH_PHASES
Nearest places
Distance and direction from each place to the epicenter, with its forecast.
Nearby
Within 100 km, magnitude 2.9 and up: 3 in the 60 days after this one and 1 in the 30 days before it.
After
- 5.656 km S of Lakatoro, Vanuatu · 14603 days ago · 10 km deep · 6 km away
- 4.415 km W of Norsup, Vanuatu · 14585 days ago · 38 km deep · 63 km away
- 5.623 km SE of Lakatoro, Vanuatu · 14560 days ago · 60 km deep · 50 km away
Before
Earthquakes todayVanuatu earthquakesLive radar here
Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp0002yaf (also filed as gcmtb092386b, gcmt19860923133017, iscgem487120, atlas19860923133016). Read Thu, Oct 1, 2026, 12:59 AM UTC.