M6.4 earthquake Fiji region
A magnitude 6.4 earthquake struck in the Fiji region on Sat, Mar 13, 1993, 2:01 AM GMT+12 (14:01 UTC), 10 km (6 mi) below the surface.
Map
Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.
The earthquake
- Magnitude
- 6.4 (Mwb, body-wave moment), strong
- Magnitude from
- USGS National Earthquake Information Center
- Local time
- UTC
- 1993-03-12 14:01:35 UTC
- Depth
- 9.6 km (6.0 mi), shallow
- Epicenter
- 14.385° S, 178.252° W
- Region
- Fiji
- Strongest shaking
- VII, very strong shaking
- 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6.4 | Mwb, body-wave moment | USGS National Earthquake Information Center | Preferred · Reviewed |
| 6.34 | Mw, moment | ISC-GEM global catalog | Final · ±0.1 |
| 6.3 | Mwc, centroid moment | Global CMT project | Preliminary |
| 6.4 | Me, energy | Choy, USGS energy magnitude | Reviewed |
Deaths and damage
From NOAA NCEI’s Significant Earthquake Database (record 5349), matched to this event by time and place.
- Deaths
- 5
- Injuries
- 201; 20 with its tsunami and other effects
- Damage
- Limited (under about $1 million)
- Houses destroyed
- Some (about 51 to 100) with its tsunami and other effects
- Houses damaged
- Some (about 51 to 100) with its tsunami and other effects
Where the literature gives no number, NCEI records a description on a scale of 1 to 4, printed here in its words. Damage is in millions of US dollars of the year of the event, not adjusted for inflation.
What happened
The USGS’s account of the effects of this earthquake.
Five people killed, more than 20 seriously injured and damage on Futuna Island. Depth from broadband displacement seismograms. RADIATED ENERGY No. of sta: 25 Focal mech. M Energy 1.0+0.2*10**14 Nm MOMENT TENSOR SOLUTION Dep 5 No. of sta: 27 Moment Tensor; Scale 10**18 Nm Mrr=3.48 Mtt=-1.47 Mff=-2.00 Mrt=-2.09 Mrf=-0.23 Mtf=2.73 Principal axes: (T) Val=4.48 Plg=63 Azm=154 (N) Val=0.20 Plg=25 Azm=311 (P) Val=-4.68 Plg=9 Azm=45 Best Double Couple:Mo=4.6*10**18 NP1:Strike=162 Dip=42 Slip=129 NP2:Strike=294 Dip=59 Slip=60 CENTROID, MOMENT TENSOR (HRV) Data Used: GDSN L.P.B.: 42S, **C M.W.: 26S, 49C Centroid Location: Origin Time 14:01:42.2 0.1 Lat 14.30S 0.01 Lon 178.09W 0.01 Dep 15.0 BDY Half-duration 3.4 Moment Tensor; Scale 10**18 Nm Mrr=3.24 0.02 Mtt=-2.08 0.03 Mff=-1.16 0.03 Mrt=-1.62 0.10 Mrf=0.28 0.09 Mtf=2.35 0.02 Principal Axes: (T) Val=3.73 Plg=72 Azm=163 (N) Val=0.56 Plg=15 Azm=305 (P) Val=-4.29 Plg=11 Azm=38 Best Double Couple:Mo=4.0*10**18 NP1:Strike=145 Dip=36 Slip=115 NP2:Strike=295 Dip=57 Slip=73
From the USGS event page for usp0005pd4. U.S. Geological Survey text and figures are in the public domain.
Shaking
The USGS ShakeMap: shaking estimated from seismic stations and the quake’s size, on the Modified Mercalli intensity scale.
- Strongest estimated
- VII, very strong shaking
- Peak ground acceleration
- 28.9% of gravity
- Peak ground velocity
- 3.3 cm/s
- Map
- Automatic
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 3.4 and up: 2 in the 60 days after this one and 0 in the 30 days before it.
After
Earthquakes todayFiji earthquakesLive radar here
Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp0005pd4 (also filed as choy19930312140135, gcmtc031293d, gcmt19930312140138, iscgem242824, atlas19930312140136). Read Fri, Oct 2, 2026, 7:12 PM UTC.