M4.8 earthquake 140 km SW of Gataivai, Samoa
A magnitude 4.8 earthquake struck 140 km SW of Gataivai, Samoa on Sat, May 15, 1982, 2:12 PM GMT-11 (01:12 UTC), 27 km (17 mi) below the surface.
A larger quake followed: M5.3 79 km NNE of Hihifo, Tonga. This one was a foreshock.
Map
Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.
The earthquake
- Magnitude
- 4.8 (mb), light
- Local time
- UTC
- 1982-05-16 01:12:19 UTC
- Depth
- 27.0 km (16.8 mi), shallow
- Epicenter
- 14.697° S, 173.286° W
- Region
- Samoa
- 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.
- Depth from
- CONSTRAINED_BY_DEPTH_PHASES
Nearest places
Distance and direction from each place to the epicenter, with its forecast.
Nearby
Within 100 km, magnitude 1.8 and up: 2 in the 60 days after this one and 1 in the 30 days before it.
After
- 5.379 km NNE of Hihifo, Tonga · 16168 days ago · 65 km deep · 72 km away
- 5.291 km NNE of Hihifo, Tonga · 16158 days ago · 33 km deep · 58 km away
Before
Earthquakes todaySamoa earthquakesLive radar here
Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp0001mc3. Read Tue, Sep 22, 2026, 9:07 AM UTC.