M3.9 earthquake 29 km N of Isangel, Vanuatu
A magnitude 3.9 earthquake struck 29 km N of Isangel, Vanuatu on Sun, Dec 22, 2002, 11:25 PM GMT+11 (12:25 UTC), 277 km (172 mi) below the surface.
A larger quake followed: M4.7 30 km NW 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
- 3.9 (mb, body-wave), minor
- Magnitude from
- USGS National Earthquake Information Center
- Local time
- UTC
- 2002-12-22 12:25:45 UTC
- Depth
- 277.3 km (172.3 mi), intermediate-depth
- Epicenter
- 19.275° S, 169.327° E
- Region
- Vanuatu
- Tsunami flag
- No
- Status
- Reviewed by a seismologist
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
- Stations used
- 15
Nearest places
Distance and direction from each place to the epicenter, with its forecast.
Nearby
Within 100 km, magnitude 1.5 and up: 3 in the 60 days after this one and 2 in the 30 days before it.
After
- 4.730 km NW of Isangel, Vanuatu · 8679 days ago · 186 km deep · 27 km away
- 4.595 km N of Isangel, Vanuatu · 8664 days ago · 260 km deep · 67 km away
- 4.677 km NE of Isangel, Vanuatu · 8663 days ago · 33 km deep · 55 km away
Before
Earthquakes todayVanuatu earthquakesLive radar here
Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp000bm63. Read Mon, Oct 5, 2026, 2:40 AM UTC.