M5.0 earthquake Fiji region
A magnitude 5.0 earthquake struck in the Fiji region on Sun, Mar 23, 1980, 6:45 AM GMT+13 (17:45 UTC), 530 km (329 mi) below the surface.
A larger quake followed: M5.1 280 km WNW of Haveluloto, Tonga. 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
- 1980-03-22 17:45:37 UTC
- Depth
- 530.0 km (329.3 mi), deep
- Epicenter
- 20.668° S, 178.254° 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
- 80
Nearest places
Distance and direction from each place to the epicenter, with its forecast.
Nearby
Within 100 km, magnitude 2.0 and up: 3 in the 60 days after this one and 4 in the 30 days before it.
After
- 4.7Fiji region · 16954 days ago · 550 km deep · 21 km away
- 4.3Fiji region · 16952 days ago · 463 km deep · 57 km away
- 5.1280 km WNW of Haveluloto, Tonga · 16936 days ago · 486 km deep · 68 km away
Before
Earthquakes todayFiji earthquakesLive radar here
Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp0001659 (also filed as gcmtb032280d, gcmt19800322174537, iscgem650029). Read Tue, Sep 22, 2026, 9:45 AM UTC.