Vanuatu earthquakes

M6.2 earthquake 37 km ENE of Isangel, Vanuatu

A magnitude 6.2 earthquake struck 37 km ENE of Isangel, Vanuatu on Mon, Oct 19, 1992, 11:03 PM GMT+11 (12:03 UTC), 21 km (13 mi) below the surface.

Port-Vila forecast More in Vanuatu

Map

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

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The earthquake

Magnitude: 6.2 (Mw, moment), strong
Magnitude from: USGS National Earthquake Information Center
Local time: Mon, Oct 19, 1992, 11:03 PM GMT+11
UTC: 1992-10-19 12:03:30 UTC
Depth: 20.6 km (12.8 mi), shallow
Epicenter: 19.385° S, 169.593° 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
6.2	Mw, moment	USGS National Earthquake Information Center	Preferred · Reviewed
6.13	Mw, moment	ISC-GEM global catalog	Final · ±0.1
6.1	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.: 36S, 85C Centroid Location: Origin Time 12:03:36.0 0.4 Lat 19.35S 0.04 Lon 169.85E 0.02 Dep 15.0 FIX Half-duration 2.8 Moment Tensor; Scale 10**18 Nm Mrr=-0.40 0.02 Mtt=-0.57 0.03 Mff=0.96 0.03 Mrt=1.18 0.08 Mrf=0.50 0.07 Mtf=-1.27 0.02 Principal Axes: (T) Val=1.69 Plg=5 Azm=58 (N) Val=0.50 Plg=54 Azm=321 (P) Val=-2.19 Plg=36 Azm=152 Best Double Couple:Mo=1.9*10**18 NP1:Strike=189 Dip=62 Slip=-23 NP2:Strike=291 Dip=70 Slip=-150

From the USGS event page for usp0005fkd. 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: CONSTRAINED_BY_DEPTH_PHASES

Nearest places

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

Port-Vila, VanuatuPopulation 35,901. Forecast228 kmSE

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 3.2 and up: 2 in the 60 days after this one and 15 in the 30 days before it.

After

Before

Earthquakes today Vanuatu earthquakes Live radar here

Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp0005fkd (also filed as gcmtb101992f, gcmt19921019120330, atlas19921019120334, iscgem268538). Read Thu, Oct 1, 2026, 10:41 AM UTC.