M5.1 earthquake 109 km SW of Gataivai, Samoa
A magnitude 5.1 earthquake struck 109 km SW of Gataivai, Samoa on Fri, Apr 15, 1988, 2:08 PM GMT-11 (01:08 UTC), 33 km (21 mi) below the surface.
A larger quake followed: M6.3 111 km NNE of Hihifo, Tonga. This one was a foreshock.
Map
Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.
The earthquake
- Magnitude
- 5.1 (mb, body-wave), moderate
- Magnitude from
- USGS National Earthquake Information Center
- Local time
- UTC
- 1988-04-16 01:08:22 UTC
- Depth
- 33.0 km (20.5 mi), shallow
- Epicenter
- 14.526° S, 173.049° W
- Region
- Samoa
- 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
- OPERATOR_ASSIGNED
Nearest places
Distance and direction from each place to the epicenter, with its forecast.
Nearby
Within 100 km, magnitude 2.1 and up: 1 in the 60 days after this one and 2 in the 30 days before it.
After
Before
Earthquakes todaySamoa earthquakesLive radar here
Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp0003f2c. Read Sun, Oct 4, 2026, 12:29 PM UTC.