M4.8 earthquake Fiji region
A magnitude 4.8 earthquake struck in the Fiji region on Sun, Feb 8, 1981, 9:59 PM GMT+13 (08:59 UTC), 591 km (367 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
- 4.8 (mb), light
- Local time
- UTC
- 1981-02-08 08:59:15 UTC
- Depth
- 591.1 km (367.3 mi), deep
- Epicenter
- 20.773° S, 178.725° 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.
Nearest places
Distance and direction from each place to the epicenter, with its forecast.
Nearby
Within 100 km, magnitude 1.8 and up: 4 in the 60 days after this one and 2 in the 30 days before it.
After
- 5.3Fiji region · 16647 days ago · 600 km deep · 15 km away
- 5.2Fiji region · 16612 days ago · 612 km deep · 32 km away
- 4.8Fiji region · 16610 days ago · 547 km deep · 37 km away
- 4.9Fiji region · 16604 days ago · 576 km deep · 78 km away
Before
Earthquakes todayFiji earthquakesLive radar here
Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp0001c2r. Read Wed, Sep 23, 2026, 3:31 AM UTC.