Reviewed by USGSVanuatu17d ago
M5.2 earthquake 78 km ESE of Isangel, Vanuatu
Wednesday, September 9, 2026, 17:01:52 UTC · 19.828°S, 169.964°E
A magnitude 5.2 earthquake struck 78 km ESE of Isangel, Vanuatu on Wednesday, September 9, 2026, 17:01:52 UTC, at a depth of 10.0 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M5.2 on September 8, 2026.
- Magnitude
- 5.2
- Moderate · mww
- Depth
- 10 km
- Shallow
- Felt reports
- 0
- Did You Feel It?
- Est. shaking
- —
- No ShakeMap
- PAGER alert
- None
- Not issued
- Tsunami
- No flag
- USGS feed
Outlined circle: this earthquakeDashed circle: 75 km aftershock search area
In context
How big was it, and why here?
Energy released
951 tons of TNT
That is about 1/16 of the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 2 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
177 km
from the nearest mapped plate boundary, between the New Hebrides and Australian plates. Earthquakes this far from a boundary happen on faults inside a plate, often less frequently but sometimes strongly.
Depth: shallow
10 km
Shallow earthquakes (under 70 km) produce the strongest surface shaking for their size, so they are the ones most likely to cause damage near the epicenter.
Did You Feel It?
Where it was felt
No “Did You Feel It?” reports have been published for this event yet. If you felt it, you can add your report on the USGS website.
I felt it — report to USGS ↗USGS PAGER estimate
Who was exposed to shaking
USGS publishes PAGER impact estimates for significant earthquakes, usually within an hour. No PAGER estimate is available for this event.
After the main event
Aftershocks within 75 km
USGS lists 3 M2.5+ earthquakes within 75 km since this event; the largest was M5.1 on September 9, 2026. Most nearby activity right after a large earthquake is aftershocks, which usually become less frequent over days and weeks.
Regional history
Past M5+ earthquakes within 300 km
USGS lists 1,916 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 8.11920 Vanuatu EarthquakeSeptember 20, 1920 · 156 km W of this epicenter
- 7.999 km SW of Port-Vila, VanuatuDecember 2, 1950 · 292 km NW of this epicenter
- 7.828 km ESE of Isangel, VanuatuJune 16, 1910 · 50 km NW of this epicenter
- 7.663 km NW of Isangel, VanuatuOctober 14, 1913 · 138 km NW of this epicenter
- 7.6274 km ESE of Tadine, New CaledoniaMarch 16, 1928 · 285 km S of this epicenter
- 7.5southeast of the Loyalty IslandsJanuary 4, 1998 · 292 km S of this epicenter
- 7.5166 km ESE of Tadine, New CaledoniaDecember 5, 2018 · 242 km S of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 48 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 26 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1875M8.1
Loyalty Islands: Lifou Island
28 Mar 1875 · 154 km away
26 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1901M7.9
Loyalty Islands
9 Aug 1901 · 242 km away
Moderate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 1920M8.1
Loyalty Islands
20 Sep 1920 · 156 km away
Limited damage (under $1M)tsunami
- 1878M7.5
Tanna Island
10 Jan 1878 · 179 km away
Limited damage (under $1M)tsunami
- 2018M7.5
Loyalty Islands
5 Dec 2018 · 242 km away · intensity III
Limited damage (under $1M)tsunami
- 1961M7.3
Vanuatu Islands
23 Jul 1961 · 226 km away · intensity VI
Limited damage (under $1M)tsunami
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.