M4.9 earthquake Fiji region
A magnitude 4.9 earthquake struck in the Fiji region on Sun, Apr 15, 1979, 5:36 PM GMT+13 (04:36 UTC), 648 km (403 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
- 4.9 (mb), light
- Local time
- UTC
- 1979-04-15 04:36:52 UTC
- Depth
- 648.0 km (402.6 mi), deep
- Epicenter
- 20.826° S, 178.815° 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
- 33
Nearest places
Distance and direction from each place to the epicenter, with its forecast.
Nearby
Within 100 km, magnitude 1.9 and up: 3 in the 60 days after this one and 5 in the 30 days before it.
After
- 6.0Fiji region · 17327 days ago · 599 km deep · 13 km away
- 5.0Fiji region · 17285 days ago · 624 km deep · 55 km away
- 4.5Fiji region · 17282 days ago · 531 km deep · 62 km away
Before
Earthquakes todayFiji earthquakesLive radar here
Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp0001007. Read Wed, Sep 30, 2026, 6:44 PM UTC.