M5.3 earthquake 47 km NNE of Isangel, Vanuatu

A magnitude 5.3 earthquake struck 47 km NNE of Isangel, Vanuatu on Sat, Oct 17, 1992, 10:41 PM GMT+11 (11:41 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.

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
5.3	mb, body-wave	USGS National Earthquake Information Center	Preferred · Reviewed · 41 stations
5.52	Mw, moment	ISC-GEM global catalog	Final · ±0.2

No one has reported feeling this quake to the USGS.

Reviewed by a seismologist.

Distance and direction from each place to the epicenter, with its forecast.

Within 100 km, magnitude 2.3 and up: 5 in the 60 days after this one and 11 in the 30 days before it.

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp0005ff6 (also filed as iscgem268046). Read Thu, Oct 1, 2026, 1:51 PM UTC.