M5.1 earthquake 141 km SW of Gataivai, Samoa
A magnitude 5.1 earthquake struck 141 km SW of Gataivai, Samoa on Tue, Sep 7, 1982, 11:17 PM GMT-11 (10:17 UTC), 33 km (21 mi) below the surface.
A larger quake followed: M5.2 129 km NE 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
- 5.1 (ms), moderate
- Local time
- UTC
- 1982-09-08 10:17:17 UTC
- Depth
- 33.0 km (20.5 mi), shallow
- Epicenter
- 14.650° S, 173.337° 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
- OPERATOR_ASSIGNED
Nearest places
Distance and direction from each place to the epicenter, with its forecast.
Nearby
Within 100 km, magnitude 2.1 and up: 6 in the 60 days after this one and 4 in the 30 days before it.
After
- 5.0135 km SW of Gataivai, Samoa · 16067 days ago · 26 km deep · 8 km away
- 5.2129 km NE of Hihifo, Tonga · 16064 days ago · 63 km deep · 48 km away
- 5.6129 km NNE of Hihifo, Tonga · 16064 days ago · 33 km deep · 41 km away
- 4.5103 km N of Hihifo, Tonga · 16063 days ago · 33 km deep · 55 km away
- 4.469 km NE of Hihifo, Tonga · 16056 days ago · 33 km deep · 99 km away
- 5.066 km NE of Hihifo, Tonga · 16039 days ago · 43 km deep · 96 km away
Before
Earthquakes todaySamoa earthquakesLive radar here
Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp0001pfd (also filed as gcmtb090882c, gcmt19820908101717, iscgem591699). Read Wed, Sep 23, 2026, 3:33 AM UTC.