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5.1MAG

MODERATE EARTHQUAKE

86 km ESE of Isangel, Vanuatu

USGS

A magnitude 5.1 earthquake struck 86 km ESE of Isangel, Vanuatu on 09 Sept 2026, 17:18 UTC. The hypocentre was 10 km below the surface — shallow by seismological convention. No felt reports have been received so far. 6 other earthquakes above our reporting threshold have been recorded within 250 km in the past 30 days.

Depth
10 km

shallow

Latitude
19.78°S

170.07°E longitude

Time
17:18 UTC

09 Sept 2026

Magnitude
M5.1

mww

EPICENTRE

View the official report

MAGNITUDE 5.1

Can damage poorly constructed buildings; well-built structures usually escape with little harm.

The scale is logarithmic: this released about 45 times the energy of a magnitude 4.0, roughly the energy of 674 tonnes of TNT.

10 KM DEEP

Shallow earthquakes release their energy close to the surface, so they are felt more strongly, and do more damage, than deeper earthquakes of the same magnitude.

NEARBY IN THE PAST 30 DAYS

6 earthquakes above our reporting threshold within 250 km of this one, the largest a magnitude 5.2.

OTHER RECENT EARTHQUAKES

M5.1 earthquake — Isangel, Vanuatu · Quakewire