M5.1 earthquake 264 km E of Levuka, Fiji
A magnitude 5.1 earthquake struck 264 km E of Levuka, Fiji on Thu, Dec 13, 1979, 4:40 AM GMT+12 (16:40 UTC), 458 km (285 mi) below the surface.
A larger quake followed: M5.3 209 km E of Levuka, Fiji. This one was a foreshock.
Map
Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.
The earthquake
- Magnitude
- 5.1 (mb), moderate
- Local time
- UTC
- 1979-12-12 16:40:10 UTC
- Depth
- 458.0 km (284.6 mi), deep
- Epicenter
- 18.222° S, 178.193° 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
- 53
Nearest places
Distance and direction from each place to the epicenter, with its forecast.
Nearby
Within 100 km, magnitude 2.1 and up: 5 in the 60 days after this one and 1 in the 30 days before it.
After
- 4.8Fiji region · 17090 days ago · 508 km deep · 79 km away
- 5.1Fiji region · 17080 days ago · 599 km deep · 47 km away
- 4.9241 km E of Levuka, Fiji · 17073 days ago · 563 km deep · 46 km away
- 5.3209 km E of Levuka, Fiji · 17071 days ago · 568 km deep · 73 km away
- 4.5Fiji region · 17038 days ago · 487 km deep · 72 km away
Before
Earthquakes todayFiji earthquakesLive radar here
Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp00014fa. Read Wed, Sep 30, 2026, 12:55 AM UTC.