M5.7 earthquake Fiji region
A magnitude 5.7 earthquake struck in the Fiji region on Fri, Mar 25, 1988, 6:21 PM GMT+13 (05:21 UTC), 559 km (347 mi) below the surface.
Map
Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.
The earthquake
- Magnitude
- 5.7 (Mw, moment), moderate
- Magnitude from
- USGS National Earthquake Information Center
- Local time
- UTC
- 1988-03-25 05:21:44 UTC
- Depth
- 559.2 km (347.5 mi), deep
- Epicenter
- 19.323° S, 177.493° W
- Region
- Fiji
- Tsunami flag
- No
- Status
- Reviewed by a seismologist
Magnitude estimates
Different scales measure different things and differ by a few tenths. The USGS marks one as preferred, and it is the one this page uses.
| Mag. | Scale | Computed by | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5.7 | Mw, moment | USGS National Earthquake Information Center | Preferred · Reviewed |
| 5.67 | Mw, moment | ISC-GEM global catalog | Final · ±0.1 |
| 5.7 | Mwc, centroid moment | Global CMT project | Preliminary |
What happened
The USGS’s account of the effects of this earthquake.
CENTROID, MOMENT TENSOR (HRV) Data Used: GDSN L.P.B.: 12S, 23C Centroid Location: Origin Time 05:21:54.3 1.1 Lat 19.11S 0.07 Lon 178.03W 0.09 Dep 590.6 2.8 Half-duration 2.6 Moment Tensor; Scale 10**17 Nm Mrr=-3.02 0.14 Mtt=0.58 0.24 Mff=2.44 0.25 Mrt=1.42 0.22 Mrf=-1.06 0.23 Mtf=2.06 0.21 Principal Axes: (T) Val=3.77 Plg=1 Azm=122 (N) Val=0.21 Plg=29 Azm=32 (P) Val=-3.98 Plg=61 Azm=214 Best Double Couple:Mo=3.9*10**17 NP1:Strike=238 Dip=51 Slip=-52 NP2:Strike=7 Dip=53 Slip=-127
From the USGS event page for usp0003ea0. U.S. Geological Survey text and figures are in the public domain.
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
- CONSTRAINED_BY_DEPTH_PHASES
Nearest places
Distance and direction from each place to the epicenter, with its forecast.
Nearby
Within 100 km, magnitude 2.7 and up: 4 in the 60 days after this one and 2 in the 30 days before it.
After
- 4.7Fiji region · 14068 days ago · 395 km deep · 5 km away
- 5.7Fiji region · 14064 days ago · 573 km deep · 71 km away
- 5.1297 km WNW of Haveluloto, Tonga · 14061 days ago · 516 km deep · 90 km away
- 5.3287 km WNW of Haveluloto, Tonga · 14051 days ago · 374 km deep · 73 km away
Before
Earthquakes todayFiji earthquakesLive radar here
Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp0003ea0 (also filed as gcmtb032588b, gcmt19880325052144, iscgem443978). Read Sat, Oct 3, 2026, 8:30 AM UTC.