M4.7 earthquake Fiji region
A magnitude 4.7 earthquake struck in the Fiji region on Thu, Jan 15, 1981, 5:23 AM GMT+13 (16:23 UTC), 508 km (316 mi) below the surface.
A larger quake followed: M5.2 293 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
- 4.7 (mb), light
- Local time
- UTC
- 1981-01-14 16:23:04 UTC
- Depth
- 508.0 km (315.7 mi), deep
- Epicenter
- 19.691° S, 178.035° 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
- 18
Nearest places
Distance and direction from each place to the epicenter, with its forecast.
Nearby
Within 100 km, magnitude 1.7 and up: 4 in the 60 days after this one and 1 in the 30 days before it.
After
- 4.6Fiji region · 16678 days ago · 632 km deep · 94 km away
- 5.2293 km WNW of Haveluloto, Tonga · 16672 days ago · 544 km deep · 79 km away
- 4.6Fiji region · 16652 days ago · 398 km deep · 99 km away
- 4.7Fiji region · 16649 days ago · 604 km deep · 45 km away
Before
Earthquakes todayFiji earthquakesLive radar here
Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp0001bqn. Read Tue, Sep 29, 2026, 10:17 AM UTC.