M4.8 earthquake Fiji region
A magnitude 4.8 earthquake struck in the Fiji region on Mon, Mar 21, 1988, 1:53 PM GMT+13 (00:53 UTC), 595 km (370 mi) below the surface.
A larger quake followed: M5.3 287 km WNW of Haveluloto, 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, body-wave), light
- Magnitude from
- USGS National Earthquake Information Center
- Local time
- UTC
- 1988-03-21 00:53:35 UTC
- Depth
- 595.0 km (369.7 mi), deep
- Epicenter
- 19.946° S, 178.331° 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 1.8 and up: 6 in the 60 days after this one and 3 in the 30 days before it.
After
- 5.1297 km WNW of Haveluloto, Tonga · 14061 days ago · 516 km deep · 54 km away
- 4.4Fiji region · 14060 days ago · 557 km deep · 73 km away
- 4.6Fiji region · 14055 days ago · 528 km deep · 50 km away
- 5.3287 km WNW of Haveluloto, Tonga · 14052 days ago · 374 km deep · 70 km away
- 4.6Fiji region · 14040 days ago · 596 km deep · 89 km away
- 5.0Fiji region · 14032 days ago · 580 km deep · 14 km away
Before
Earthquakes todayFiji earthquakesLive radar here
Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp0003e5c. Read Sun, Oct 4, 2026, 2:52 AM UTC.