M4.9 earthquake Fiji region
A magnitude 4.9 earthquake struck in the Fiji region on Thu, Aug 9, 1979, 6:17 AM GMT+13 (17:17 UTC), 583 km (362 mi) below the surface.
A larger quake followed: M5.3 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
- 1979-08-08 17:17:12 UTC
- Depth
- 583.0 km (362.3 mi), deep
- Epicenter
- 20.965° S, 178.579° 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
- 73
Nearest places
Distance and direction from each place to the epicenter, with its forecast.
Nearby
Within 100 km, magnitude 1.9 and up: 8 in the 60 days after this one and 3 in the 30 days before it.
After
- 5.3Fiji region · 17215 days ago · 535 km deep · 46 km away
- 4.2Fiji region · 17205 days ago · 576 km deep · 34 km away
- 5.1Fiji region · 17203 days ago · 619 km deep · 96 km away
- 4.6Fiji region · 17184 days ago · 643 km deep · 75 km away
- 4.3Fiji region · 17173 days ago · 662 km deep · 80 km away
- 3.1Fiji region · 17170 days ago · 447 km deep · 76 km away
- 5.0Fiji region · 17163 days ago · 576 km deep · 46 km away
- 4.9Fiji region · 17162 days ago · 595 km deep · 72 km away
Before
Earthquakes todayFiji earthquakesLive radar here
Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp00012a0. Read Mon, Sep 28, 2026, 8:08 PM UTC.