M5.6 earthquake 89 km ESE of Isangel, Vanuatu
A magnitude 5.6 earthquake struck 89 km ESE of Isangel, Vanuatu on Sun, Sep 6, 2026, 4:02 AM GMT+11 (17:02 UTC), 9 km (6 mi) below the surface.
Map
Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.
The earthquake
- Magnitude
- 5.6 (Mww, W-phase moment), moderate
- Magnitude from
- USGS National Earthquake Information Center
- Local time
- UTC
- 2026-09-05 17:02:11 UTC
- Depth
- 9.0 km (5.6 mi), shallow
- Epicenter
- 19.742° S, 170.110° E
- Region
- Vanuatu
- Strongest shaking
- IV, light shaking
- PAGER alert
- Green
- 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5.6 | Mww, W-phase moment | USGS National Earthquake Information Center | Preferred · Confirmed · ±0.041 · 56 stations |
| 5.9 | Mwp, P-wave moment | NOAA National Tsunami Warning Center | First automatic solution · Preliminary · 10 stations |
| 5.6 | Mwb, body-wave moment | USGS National Earthquake Information Center | Moment tensor · Confirmed |
| 5.8 | Mww, W-phase moment | USGS, automatic first solution | First automatic solution · Confirmed |
Shaking
The USGS ShakeMap: shaking estimated from seismic stations and the quake’s size, on the Modified Mercalli intensity scale.
- Strongest estimated
- IV, light shaking
- Peak ground acceleration
- 2.6% of gravity
- Peak ground velocity
- 1.3 cm/s
- Map
- Automatic
Did you feel it?
No one has reported feeling this quake to the USGS. If you felt it, tell the USGS: every report sharpens the shaking map.
Estimated impact
The USGS PAGER system estimates deaths and economic losses from the shaking and the population and buildings exposed to it.
- Alert level
- Green: little or no damage or loss of life expected
| Range | Chance |
|---|---|
| Under 1 | 90% |
| 1 to 10 | 9% |
| 10 to 100 | Under 1% |
| 100 to 1,000 | Under 1% |
| 1,000 to 10,000 | Under 1% |
| 10,000 to 100,000 | Under 1% |
| 100,000 to 10,000,000 | Under 1% |
| Range, million USD | Chance |
|---|---|
| Under 1 | 90% |
| 1 to 10 | 9% |
| 10 to 100 | Under 1% |
| 100 to 1,000 | Under 1% |
| 1,000 to 10,000 | Under 1% |
| 10,000 to 100,000 | Under 1% |
| 100,000 to 10,000,000 | Under 1% |
Fault motion and ground failure
How the rock slipped, from the moment tensor, and the USGS estimate of landslides and liquefaction.
- Faulting
- Normal
- Moment magnitude
- 5.6 Mww
- Nodal plane 1
- Strike 142°, dip 42°, rake -104°
- Nodal plane 2
- Strike 340°, dip 50°, rake -78°
How well it is located
Reviewed by a seismologist.
- Location uncertainty
- About 8.0 km horizontally, 1.8 km in depth
- Magnitude uncertainty
- ±0.04
- Depth from
- From modeling of broad-band P waveforms
- Station coverage gap
- 82°
- Stations used
- 83
Nearest places
Distance and direction from each place to the epicenter, with its forecast.
Nearby
Within 100 km, magnitude 2.6 and up: 6 since this one and 4 in the 30 days before it.
After
- 4.794 km ESE of Isangel, Vanuatu · 26 days ago · 10 km deep · 18 km away
- 5.2100 km ESE of Isangel, Vanuatu · 23 days ago · 10 km deep · 13 km away
- 5.278 km ESE of Isangel, Vanuatu · 22 days ago · 10 km deep · 18 km away
- 5.186 km ESE of Isangel, Vanuatu · 22 days ago · 10 km deep · 6 km away
- 4.983 km ESE of Isangel, Vanuatu · 22 days ago · 10 km deep · 6 km away
- 4.157 km S of Isangel, Vanuatu · 20 days ago · 113 km deep · 92 km away
Before
Earthquakes todayVanuatu earthquakesLive radar here
Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event us7000tek0 (also filed as usauto7000tek0, attkwhzr). Read Thu, Oct 1, 2026, 12:11 PM UTC.