M5.0 earthquake Fiji region
A magnitude 5.0 earthquake struck in the Fiji region on Fri, Sep 16, 1983, 4:56 AM GMT+13 (15:56 UTC), 604 km (375 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
- 5.0 (mb), moderate
- Local time
- UTC
- 1983-09-15 15:56:13 UTC
- Depth
- 603.5 km (375.0 mi), deep
- Epicenter
- 20.978° S, 178.771° 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 2.0 and up: 5 in the 60 days after this one and 2 in the 30 days before it.
After
- 4.9Fiji region · 15719 days ago · 610 km deep · 18 km away
- 4.9Fiji region · 15708 days ago · 625 km deep · 51 km away
- 5.3Fiji region · 15706 days ago · 638 km deep · 41 km away
- 4.8Fiji region · 15681 days ago · 600 km deep · 99 km away
- 4.6Fiji region · 15661 days ago · 589 km deep · 27 km away
Before
Earthquakes todayFiji earthquakesLive radar here
Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp0001ydc. Read Wed, Sep 30, 2026, 4:37 PM UTC.