Kiribati earthquakes

M5.2 earthquake Gilbert Islands, Kiribati region

A magnitude 5.2 earthquake struck in the Gilbert Islands, Kiribati region on Thu, Aug 19, 1982, 6:21 AM GMT+12 (18:21 UTC), 33 km (21 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M5.3 Gilbert Islands, Kiribati region. This one was a foreshock.

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The earthquake

Magnitude: 5.2 (mb), moderate
Local time: Thu, Aug 19, 1982, 6:21 AM GMT+12
UTC: 1982-08-18 18:21:00 UTC
Depth: 33.0 km (20.5 mi), shallow
Epicenter: 3.369° S, 177.668° E
Region: Kiribati
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

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 2.2 and up: 41 in the 60 days after this one and 30 in the 30 days before it.

After

Before

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Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp0001p4e. Read Tue, Sep 22, 2026, 10:58 AM UTC.