M5.2 earthquake 33 km N of Isangel, Vanuatu
A magnitude 5.2 earthquake struck 33 km N of Isangel, Vanuatu on Wed, Jan 16, 2002, 5:53 AM GMT+11 (18:53 UTC), 271 km (168 mi) below the surface.
Map
Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.
The earthquake
- Magnitude
- 5.2 (Mwc, centroid moment), moderate
- Magnitude from
- USGS National Earthquake Information Center
- Local time
- UTC
- 2002-01-15 18:53:48 UTC
- Depth
- 270.6 km (168.1 mi), intermediate-depth
- Epicenter
- 19.247° S, 169.341° 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5.2 | Mwc, centroid moment | USGS National Earthquake Information Center | Preferred · Reviewed |
| 5.14 | Mw, moment | ISC-GEM global catalog | Final · ±0.1 |
| 5.1 | Mwc, centroid moment | Global CMT project | Preliminary |
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
- Oblique reverse
- Nodal plane 1
- Strike 36°, dip 27°, rake 130°
- Nodal plane 2
- Strike 172°, dip 69°, rake 72°
How well it is located
Reviewed by a seismologist.
- Depth from
- FROM_LOCATION
- Stations used
- 107
Nearest places
Distance and direction from each place to the epicenter, with its forecast.
Nearby
Within 100 km, magnitude 2.2 and up: 5 in the 60 days after this one and 2 in the 30 days before it.
After
- 3.6116 km SE of Port-Vila, Vanuatu · 9024 days ago · 242 km deep · 91 km away
- 4.527 km N of Isangel, Vanuatu · 9020 days ago · 155 km deep · 11 km away
- 4.776 km N of Isangel, Vanuatu · 9013 days ago · 281 km deep · 44 km away
- 4.551 km NNW of Isangel, Vanuatu · 9000 days ago · 168 km deep · 30 km away
- 4.864 km NNE of Isangel, Vanuatu · 8996 days ago · 287 km deep · 34 km away
Before
Earthquakes todayVanuatu earthquakesLive radar here
Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp000awjb (also filed as gcmtb011502i, gcmt20020115185349, iscgem2708622). Read Sat, Oct 3, 2026, 3:15 PM UTC.