Vanuatu earthquakes

M5.4 earthquake 43 km ENE of Isangel, Vanuatu

A magnitude 5.4 earthquake struck 43 km ENE of Isangel, Vanuatu on Sun, Oct 18, 1992, 5:10 AM GMT+11 (18:10 UTC), 36 km (22 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M6.2 37 km ENE of Isangel, Vanuatu. This one was a foreshock.

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Map

Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.

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The earthquake

Magnitude
5.4 (Mw, moment), moderate
Magnitude from
USGS National Earthquake Information Center
Local time
UTC
1992-10-17 18:10:23 UTC
Depth
36.1 km (22.4 mi), shallow
Epicenter
19.334° S, 169.636° 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.ScaleComputed byNotes
5.4Mw, momentUSGS National Earthquake Information CenterPreferred · Reviewed
5.34Mw, momentISC-GEM global catalogFinal · ±0.1
5.3Mwc, centroid momentGlobal CMT projectPreliminary

What happened

The USGS’s account of the effects of this earthquake.

CENTROID, MOMENT TENSOR (HRV) Data Used: GDSN L.P.B.: 13S, 17C Centroid Location: Origin Time 18:10:26.1 1.1 Lat 19.19S 0.11 Lon 169.53E 0.13 Dep 15.0 FIX Half-duration 1.0 Moment Tensor; Scale 10**17 Nm Mrr=-0.83 0.08 Mtt=1.12 0.10 Mff=-0.29 0.14 Mrt=0.64 0.41 Mrf=-0.48 0.22 Mtf=0.09 0.07 Principal Axes: (T) Val=1.32 Plg=17 Azm=2 (N) Val=-0.05 Plg=25 Azm=100 (P) Val=-1.26 Plg=59 Azm=241 Best Double Couple:Mo=1.3*10**17 NP1:Strike=60 Dip=35 Slip=-136 NP2:Strike=292 Dip=66 Slip=-63

From the USGS event page for usp0005ffs. 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
FROM_LOCATION

Nearest places

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

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 2.4 and up: 3 in the 60 days after this one and 14 in the 30 days before it.

After

  1. 6.237 km ENE of Isangel, Vanuatu · 12400 days ago · 21 km deep · 7 km away
  2. 4.472 km SSE of Isangel, Vanuatu · 12364 days ago · 135 km deep · 93 km away
  3. 4.878 km N of Isangel, Vanuatu · 12360 days ago · 216 km deep · 70 km away

Before

  1. 4.882 km E of Isangel, Vanuatu · 12402 days ago · 33 km deep · 55 km away
  2. 5.148 km ENE of Isangel, Vanuatu · 12402 days ago · 40 km deep · 7 km away
  3. 5.347 km NNE of Isangel, Vanuatu · 12402 days ago · 33 km deep · 25 km away
  4. 5.260 km NW of Isangel, Vanuatu · 12403 days ago · 125 km deep · 84 km away
  5. 5.539 km NNE of Isangel, Vanuatu · 12403 days ago · 33 km deep · 20 km away
  6. 4.844 km NE of Isangel, Vanuatu · 12403 days ago · 52 km deep · 18 km away
  7. 6.545 km NE of Isangel, Vanuatu · 12403 days ago · 12 km deep · 15 km away
  8. 5.348 km ENE of Isangel, Vanuatu · 12403 days ago · 57 km deep · 6 km away
  9. 5.455 km NE of Isangel, Vanuatu · 12404 days ago · 20 km deep · 20 km away
  10. 4.595 km E of Isangel, Vanuatu · 12404 days ago · 33 km deep · 69 km away
  11. 4.590 km N of Isangel, Vanuatu · 12407 days ago · 244 km deep · 76 km away
  12. 7.447 km NW of Isangel, Vanuatu · 12408 days ago · 129 km deep · 73 km away
  13. 4.550 km E of Isangel, Vanuatu · 12420 days ago · 149 km deep · 27 km away
  14. 5.545 km NNW of Isangel, Vanuatu · 12421 days ago · 142 km deep · 64 km away

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Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp0005ffs (also filed as gcmtb101792j, gcmt19921017181023, iscgem268127). Read Thu, Oct 1, 2026, 9:12 PM UTC.