M4.8 earthquake Fiji region
A magnitude 4.8 earthquake struck in the Fiji region on Wed, Mar 21, 1979, 8:19 AM GMT+13 (19:19 UTC), 532 km (331 mi) below the surface.
A larger quake followed: M6.0 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
- 4.8 (mb, body-wave), light
- Magnitude from
- USGS National Earthquake Information Center
- Local time
- UTC
- 1979-03-20 19:19:44 UTC
- Depth
- 532.0 km (330.6 mi), deep
- Epicenter
- 21.270° S, 178.902° 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
- 15
Nearest places
Distance and direction from each place to the epicenter, with its forecast.
Nearby
Within 100 km, magnitude 1.8 and up: 5 in the 60 days after this one and 2 in the 30 days before it.
After
- 5.3Fiji region · 17356 days ago · 558 km deep · 40 km away
- 4.8Fiji region · 17340 days ago · 576 km deep · 52 km away
- 4.8Fiji region · 17338 days ago · 633 km deep · 42 km away
- 4.9Fiji region · 17337 days ago · 648 km deep · 50 km away
- 6.0Fiji region · 17328 days ago · 599 km deep · 54 km away
Before
Earthquakes todayFiji earthquakesLive radar here
Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp0000zhs. Read Fri, Oct 2, 2026, 9:01 AM UTC.