M7.1 earthquake 19 km NW of Isangel, Vanuatu
A magnitude 7.1 earthquake struck 19 km NW of Isangel, Vanuatu on Mon, Aug 13, 1990, 8:25 AM GMT+11 (21:25 UTC), 140 km (87 mi) below the surface.
Map
Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.
The earthquake
- Magnitude
- 7.1 (mw), major
- Local time
- UTC
- 1990-08-12 21:25:21 UTC
- Depth
- 140.4 km (87.2 mi), intermediate-depth
- Epicenter
- 19.435° S, 169.132° E
- Region
- Vanuatu
- Strongest shaking
- VII, very strong 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
- VII, very strong shaking
- Peak ground acceleration
- 16.2% of gravity
- Peak ground velocity
- 2.2 cm/s
- Map
- Automatic
Did you feel it?
No one has reported feeling this quake to the USGS.
Fault motion and ground failure
How the rock slipped, from the moment tensor, and the USGS estimate of landslides and liquefaction.
- Faulting
- Reverse (thrust)
- Moment magnitude
- 7.0 Mww
- Nodal plane 1
- Strike 313°, dip 11°, rake 64°
- Nodal plane 2
- Strike 158°, dip 79°, rake 94°
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 2.5 and up: 0 in the 60 days after this one and 1 in the 30 days before it.
Before
Earthquakes todayVanuatu earthquakesLive radar here
Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp0004dad (also filed as choy19900812212521, gcmtc081290c, gcmt19900812212522, duputel081290c, atlas19900812212523, iscgem359314). Read Wed, Sep 23, 2026, 1:01 AM UTC.