Earthquake.now

M4.6 Earthquake near Isangel, Vanuatu — 20 March 2026

A light earthquake of magnitude 4.6 was recorded near Isangel, Vanuatu on , with an epicentre 104 km west-northwest of Isangel, at a focal depth of 10.0 km. It ranked as the 10th strongest of 12 earthquakes recorded in Vanuatu in the preceding 30 days.

4.6 Light

Time (UTC): 2026-03-20 19:55:20

Time (your timezone): —

Magnitude: 4.6 (light)

Focal depth: 10.0 km (shallow)

Epicentre: -19.2594, 168.3310

Location: 104 km WNW of Isangel, Vanuatu

Country: Vanuatu

USGS link to NOAA tsunami information: Not linked

Review status: Reviewed

Source: USGS event page

How strong was this earthquake?

Light earthquakes are widely felt near the epicentre and can rattle windows, dishes and hanging objects. Damage is uncommon and usually limited to cracked plaster or fallen loose items.

A magnitude 4.6 earthquake radiates roughly 120 tons of TNT equivalent in seismic energy.

The USGS assigns this earthquake a significance score of 326, which is below the USGS threshold of more than 600 for its significant-earthquake list. The ranking combines magnitude with available Did You Feel It responses and PAGER alert level; it is not a direct measurement of damage.

What the magnitude scale actually measures →

When it happened locally

That is about 07:08 local solar time at the epicentre, around dawn.

This event was shallower than 100% of the 282 earthquakes recorded in Vanuatu in our catalogue and stronger than 26% of them.

Where was the epicentre?

The epicentre was located at -19.2594, 168.3310 — 104 km west-northwest of Isangel. The closest other recorded event was a magnitude 4.4 earthquake 4 km northeast of here on 20 March 2026.

The nearest other settlements in our records are Port-Vila (82 km west-northwest), Ipota (105 km east-northeast), Malorua (167 km north) and Port Vila (176 km north).

Why the 10 km depth matters

At 10 km this was a shallow earthquake. Shallow events release their energy close to the surface, so for a given magnitude they produce noticeably stronger shaking — and more damage — than deeper ones. Roughly three quarters of all earthquakes worldwide occur at shallow depths.

This catalogue does not ingest eyewitness responses, so it cannot confirm where this earthquake was felt. Based on magnitude alone, an event this size is often felt across the surrounding area. Its shallow focus makes stronger surface shaking more likely than for a deeper event of the same magnitude.

Read more on how focal depth changes what you feel →

What does the tsunami information flag mean?

The USGS record does not carry a link to NOAA tsunami information. That field is not an all-clear and does not state whether a tsunami occurred. In this case, a damaging tsunami would be less likely because at M4.6 it falls below the magnitude 6.5 threshold that generally applies before a submarine earthquake displaces enough water to generate a damaging tsunami; it occurred inland rather than beneath the sea floor. For an active coastal alert, use tsunami.gov or your local warning authority.

How earthquakes generate tsunamis, and what the alert levels mean →

Aftershocks and local seismic history

1 further earthquakes have been recorded within about 150 km of the epicentre in the seven days after this event, the largest of them magnitude 4.5.

151 earthquakes of magnitude 4 or above have been logged within roughly 200 km of this epicentre in our catalogue. The strongest was a magnitude 7.3 event near Port-Vila on 17 December 2024. This M4.6 event released about 11,220 times less energy than that event.

17 earthquakes have been recorded within 100 km of this epicentre in the past year, 3 of them in the past 30 days.

How long aftershock sequences last, and how large they get →

Where this event sits in the record

This earthquake is part of the March 2026 worldwide record, and of earthquakes in Vanuatu during March 2026. Browse the full monthly archive to compare periods.

Nearest recorded earthquakes to this epicentre

Other recent earthquakes in Vanuatu

All recorded earthquakes in Vanuatu →

Other magnitude 4 earthquakes worldwide

All magnitude 4 earthquakes →

Questions about this earthquake

How strong was the earthquake near Isangel?

It measured magnitude 4.6 — a light earthquake. A magnitude 4.6 earthquake radiates roughly 120 tons of TNT equivalent in seismic energy.

How deep was the earthquake near Isangel?

The focus was 10 km below the surface, which counts as shallow.

Was the Isangel earthquake felt at the surface?

At magnitude 4.6 and a focal depth of 10 km, shaking would have been concentrated near the epicentre.

When did the earthquake near Isangel happen?

20 March 2026 at 19:55 UTC.

Was there a tsunami?

No. The USGS record carries no tsunami-information link for this event.

Have there been aftershocks?

1 further earthquakes have been recorded within about 150 km of the epicentre in the seven days after this event, the largest of them magnitude 4.5.

How often do earthquakes happen near Isangel?

151 earthquakes of magnitude 4 or above have been logged within roughly 200 km of this epicentre in our catalogue. The strongest was a magnitude 7.3 event near Port-Vila on 17 December 2024. This M4.6 event released about 11,220 times less energy than that event.