M5.5 earthquake 39 km NNE of Isangel, Vanuatu
A magnitude 5.5 earthquake struck 39 km NNE of Isangel, Vanuatu on Sat, Oct 17, 1992, 4:47 PM GMT+11 (05:47 UTC), 33 km (21 mi) below the surface.
A larger quake followed: M6.2 37 km ENE of Isangel, Vanuatu. This one was a foreshock.
Map
Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.
The earthquake
- Magnitude
- 5.5 (Mw, moment), moderate
- Magnitude from
- USGS National Earthquake Information Center
- Local time
- UTC
- 1992-10-17 05:47:58 UTC
- Depth
- 33.0 km (20.5 mi), shallow
- Epicenter
- 19.239° S, 169.473° 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5.5 | Mw, moment | USGS National Earthquake Information Center | Preferred · Reviewed |
| 5.49 | Mw, moment | ISC-GEM global catalog | Final · ±0.1 |
| 5.5 | 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.: 26S, 42C Centroid Location: Origin Time 05:48: 1.9 0.7 Lat 18.95S 0.08 Lon 169.93E 0.03 Dep 15.0 FIX Half-duration 1.6 Moment Tensor; Scale 10**17 Nm Mrr=-0.44 0.08 Mtt=0.09 0.15 Mff=0.35 0.15 Mrt=0.00 0.00 Mrf=0.00 0.00 Mtf=-2.08 0.07 Principal Axes: (T) Val=2.30 Plg=0 Azm=227 (N) Val=-0.44 Plg=90 Azm=180 (P) Val=-1.86 Plg=0 Azm=137 Best Double Couple:Mo=2.1*10**17 NP1:Strike=272 Dip=90 Slip=-180 NP2:Strike=2 Dip=90 Slip=0
From the USGS event page for usp0005fer. 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.
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: 7 in the 60 days after this one and 9 in the 30 days before it.
After
- 5.260 km NW of Isangel, Vanuatu · 12402 days ago · 125 km deep · 66 km away
- 5.347 km NNE of Isangel, Vanuatu · 12402 days ago · 33 km deep · 9 km away
- 5.148 km ENE of Isangel, Vanuatu · 12402 days ago · 40 km deep · 27 km away
- 4.882 km E of Isangel, Vanuatu · 12402 days ago · 33 km deep · 75 km away
- 5.443 km ENE of Isangel, Vanuatu · 12402 days ago · 36 km deep · 20 km away
- 6.237 km ENE of Isangel, Vanuatu · 12400 days ago · 21 km deep · 21 km away
- 4.878 km N of Isangel, Vanuatu · 12360 days ago · 216 km deep · 52 km away
Before
- 4.844 km NE of Isangel, Vanuatu · 12402 days ago · 52 km deep · 6 km away
- 6.545 km NE of Isangel, Vanuatu · 12402 days ago · 12 km deep · 9 km away
- 5.348 km ENE of Isangel, Vanuatu · 12402 days ago · 57 km deep · 26 km away
- 5.455 km NE of Isangel, Vanuatu · 12404 days ago · 20 km deep · 17 km away
- 4.595 km E of Isangel, Vanuatu · 12404 days ago · 33 km deep · 89 km away
- 4.590 km N of Isangel, Vanuatu · 12407 days ago · 244 km deep · 60 km away
- 7.447 km NW of Isangel, Vanuatu · 12408 days ago · 129 km deep · 55 km away
- 4.550 km E of Isangel, Vanuatu · 12420 days ago · 149 km deep · 46 km away
- 5.545 km NNW of Isangel, Vanuatu · 12421 days ago · 142 km deep · 45 km away
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Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp0005fer (also filed as gcmtb101792c, gcmt19921017054757, iscgem267999). Read Thu, Oct 1, 2026, 10:44 AM UTC.