Reviewed by USGSVanuatu13d ago
M4.8 earthquake 74 km SSW of Isangel, Vanuatu
Sunday, September 13, 2026, 19:41:43 UTC · 20.109°S, 168.908°E
A magnitude 4.8 earthquake struck 74 km SSW of Isangel, Vanuatu on Sunday, September 13, 2026, 19:41:43 UTC, at a depth of 10.0 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M4.9 on September 11, 2026.
- Magnitude
- 4.8
- Light · mb
- 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: 50 km aftershock search area
In context
How big was it, and why here?
Energy released
239 tons of TNT
That is about 1/63 of the Hiroshima bomb. A magnitude 5.0 releases about 2 times more energy.
Tectonic setting
64 km
from the nearest mapped plate boundary, between the New Hebrides and Australian plates. Earthquakes cluster along boundaries like this one, where plates collide, pull apart or slide past each other.
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 50 km
USGS lists 1 M2.5+ earthquake within 50 km since this event; the largest was M4.4 on September 13, 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 2,024 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 · 47 km W of this epicenter
- 7.999 km SW of Port-Vila, VanuatuDecember 2, 1950 · 234 km NW of this epicenter
- 7.828 km ESE of Isangel, VanuatuJune 16, 1910 · 88 km NE of this epicenter
- 7.663 km NW of Isangel, VanuatuOctober 14, 1913 · 114 km N of this epicenter
- 7.6274 km ESE of Tadine, New CaledoniaMarch 16, 1928 · 294 km SE of this epicenter
- 7.5166 km ESE of Tadine, New CaledoniaDecember 5, 2018 · 212 km S of this epicenter
- 7.447 km NW of Isangel, VanuatuOctober 11, 1992 · 96 km N of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 52 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 40 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1875M8.1
Loyalty Islands: Lifou Island
28 Mar 1875 · 44 km away
26 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 2024M7.3
Efate, Port Vila
17 Dec 2024 · 285 km away
14 deaths$100 million damagetsunami
- 1901M7.9
Loyalty Islands
9 Aug 1901 · 239 km away
Moderate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 1920M8.1
Loyalty Islands
20 Sep 1920 · 47 km away
Limited damage (under $1M)tsunami
- 1878M7.5
Tanna Island
10 Jan 1878 · 130 km away
Limited damage (under $1M)tsunami
- 2018M7.5
Loyalty Islands
5 Dec 2018 · 212 km away · intensity III
Limited damage (under $1M)tsunami
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.