M5.7 earthquake Fiji region
A magnitude 5.7 earthquake struck in the Fiji region on Sat, Apr 2, 1988, 3:26 AM GMT+13 (14:26 UTC), 573 km (356 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
- 1988-04-01 14:26:40 UTC
- Depth
- 572.7 km (355.9 mi), deep
- Epicenter
- 18.782° S, 177.853° 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 |
| 5.62 | Mw, moment | ISC-GEM global catalog | Final · ±0.1 |
| 5.6 | Mwc, centroid moment | Global CMT project | Preliminary |
What happened
The USGS’s account of the effects of this earthquake.
FAULT PLANE SOLUTION: P-Waves NP1:Strike=285 Dip=70 Slip=-42 NP2:Strike=32 Dip=51 Slip=-154 Principal Axes: (T) Plg=12 Azm=343 (P) Plg=43 Azm=241 Comment: The focal mechanism is poorly controlled and corresponds to strike-slip faulting with a large normal component. The preferred fault plane is not determined. RADIATED ENERGY No. of sta: 4 Focal mech. f Energy 1.0+0.6*10**12 Nm MOMENT TENSOR SOLUTION Dep 567 No. of sta: 5 Moment Tensor; Scale 10**17 Nm Mrr=-1.42 Mtt=3.97 Mff=-2.55 Mrt=1.47 Mrf=-1.91 Mtf=1.71 Principal axes: (T) Val=4.56 Plg=10 Azm=349 (N) Val=0.01 Plg=52 Azm=93 (P) Val=-4.57 Plg=36 Azm=252 Best Double Couple:Mo=4.6*10**17 NP1:Strike=37 Dip=57 Slip=-160 NP2:Strike=296 Dip=73 Slip=-34 CENTROID, MOMENT TENSOR (HRV) Data Used: GDSN L.P.B.: 15S, 32C Centroid Location: Origin Time 14:26:51.9 0.8 Lat 18.19S 0.06 Lon 178.37W 0.05 Dep 591.1 2.1 Half-duration 2.5 Moment Tensor; Scale 10**17 Nm Mrr=-1.79 0.08 Mtt=1.98 0.12 Mff=-0.19 0.13 Mrt=1.14 0.12 Mrf=-2.31 0.12 Mtf=1.35 0.12 Principal Axes: (T) Val=2.62 Plg=1 Azm=335 (N) Val=1.31 Plg=40 Azm=66 (P) Val=-3.93 Plg=50 Azm=244 Best Double Couple:Mo=3.3*10**17 NP1:Strike=32 Dip=56 Slip=-140 NP2:Strike=277 Dip=58 Slip=-41
From the USGS event page for usp0003ej3. 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.
Nearest places
Distance and direction from each place to the epicenter, with its forecast.
Nearby
Within 100 km, magnitude 2.7 and up: 2 in the 60 days after this one and 3 in the 30 days before it.
After
- 4.3280 km E of Levuka, Fiji · 14031 days ago · 523 km deep · 79 km away
- 4.9282 km E of Levuka, Fiji · 14008 days ago · 540 km deep · 58 km away
Before
Earthquakes todayFiji earthquakesLive radar here
Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp0003ej3 (also filed as gcmtb040188a, gcmt19880401142641, iscgem439493). Read Fri, Oct 2, 2026, 9:24 PM UTC.