M4.2 earthquake Fiji region
A magnitude 4.2 earthquake struck in the Fiji region on Fri, Dec 20, 1985, 9:29 PM GMT+13 (08:29 UTC), 588 km (366 mi) below the surface.
A larger quake followed: M5.1 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
- 4.2 (mb), light
- Local time
- UTC
- 1985-12-20 08:29:26 UTC
- Depth
- 588.4 km (365.6 mi), deep
- Epicenter
- 21.416° S, 179.024° 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.
How well it is located
Reviewed by a seismologist.
- Depth from
- FROM_LOCATION
Nearest places
Distance and direction from each place to the epicenter, with its forecast.
Nearby
Within 100 km, magnitude 1.5 and up: 7 in the 60 days after this one and 3 in the 30 days before it.
After
- 5.1Fiji region · 14883 days ago · 639 km deep · 13 km away
- 6.1Fiji region · 14880 days ago · 455 km deep · 58 km away
- 4.5Fiji region · 14879 days ago · 455 km deep · 62 km away
- 4.5Fiji region · 14874 days ago · 598 km deep · 81 km away
- 4.4Fiji region · 14868 days ago · 585 km deep · 50 km away
- 5.7Fiji region · 14868 days ago · 520 km deep · 49 km away
- 5.5Fiji region · 14830 days ago · 610 km deep · 51 km away
Before
Earthquakes todayFiji earthquakesLive radar here
Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp0002p40. Read Tue, Sep 22, 2026, 5:30 AM UTC.