M5.7 earthquake 42 km NNW of Isangel, Vanuatu
A magnitude 5.7 earthquake struck 42 km NNW of Isangel, Vanuatu on Fri, Oct 23, 1987, 4:44 AM GMT+12 (16:44 UTC), 158 km (98 mi) below the surface.
Map
Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.
The earthquake
- Magnitude
- 5.7 (Mw, moment), moderate
- Magnitude from
- USGS National Earthquake Information Center
- Local time
- UTC
- 1987-10-22 16:44:35 UTC
- Depth
- 158.0 km (98.2 mi), intermediate-depth
- Epicenter
- 19.204° S, 169.089° 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5.7 | Mw, moment | USGS National Earthquake Information Center | Preferred · Reviewed |
| 5.66 | Mw, moment | ISC-GEM global catalog | Final · ±0.1 |
| 5.7 | Mwc, centroid moment | Global CMT project | Preliminary |
What happened
The USGS’s account of the effects of this earthquake.
CENTROID, MOMENT TENSOR (HRV) Data Used: GDSN L.P.B.: 17S, 36C Centroid Location: Origin Time 16:44:40.8 0.4 Lat 19.26S 0.04 Lon 168.57E 0.04 Dep 155.7 1.1 Half-duration 2.6 Moment Tensor; Scale 10**17 Nm Mrr=1.14 0.08 Mtt=-0.12 0.11 Mff=-1.02 0.12 Mrt=-0.22 0.09 Mrf=-3.31 0.09 Mtf=1.62 0.12 Principal Axes: (T) Val=3.87 Plg=48 Azm=115 (N) Val=-0.06 Plg=25 Azm=354 (P) Val=-3.81 Plg=31 Azm=248 Best Double Couple:Mo=3.8*10**17 NP1:Strike=288 Dip=27 Slip=21 NP2:Strike=179 Dip=81 Slip=115
From the USGS event page for usp00039gr. 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 2.7 and up: 3 in the 60 days after this one and 1 in the 30 days before it.
After
- 5.077 km N of Isangel, Vanuatu · 14208 days ago · 254 km deep · 44 km away
- 4.2Vanuatu · 14199 days ago · 248 km deep · 42 km away
- 5.073 km ENE of Isangel, Vanuatu · 14197 days ago · 49 km deep · 86 km away
Before
Earthquakes todayVanuatu earthquakesLive radar here
Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp00039gr (also filed as gcmtb102287f, gcmt19871022164435, iscgem455958). Read Thu, Oct 1, 2026, 10:23 PM UTC.