M5.0 earthquake Fiji region
A magnitude 5.0 earthquake struck in the Fiji region on Mon, May 1, 1978, 2:55 AM GMT+13 (13:55 UTC), 604 km (375 mi) below the surface.
A larger quake followed: M5.5 Fiji region. This one was a foreshock.
Map
Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.
The earthquake
- Magnitude
- 5.0 (mb), moderate
- Local time
- UTC
- 1978-04-30 13:55:17 UTC
- Depth
- 604.0 km (375.3 mi), deep
- Epicenter
- 19.774° S, 177.981° W
- Region
- Fiji
- Tsunami flag
- No
- Status
- Reviewed by a seismologist
Did you feel it?
No one has reported feeling this quake to the USGS.
How well it is located
Reviewed by a seismologist.
- Stations used
- 16
Nearest places
Distance and direction from each place to the epicenter, with its forecast.
Nearby
Within 100 km, magnitude 2.0 and up: 5 in the 60 days after this one and 3 in the 30 days before it.
After
- 5.5Fiji region · 17676 days ago · 578 km deep · 77 km away
- 5.2296 km WNW of Haveluloto, Tonga · 17674 days ago · 516 km deep · 54 km away
- 4.5Fiji region · 17665 days ago · 620 km deep · 64 km away
- 4.5281 km WNW of Haveluloto, Tonga · 17656 days ago · 539 km deep · 73 km away
- 4.6Fiji region · 17622 days ago · 571 km deep · 88 km away
Before
Earthquakes todayFiji earthquakesLive radar here
Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp0000ubb. Read Tue, Sep 22, 2026, 4:09 PM UTC.