Fiji earthquakes

M5.4 earthquake Fiji region

A magnitude 5.4 earthquake struck in the Fiji region on Wed, Oct 12, 2016, 5:16 PM GMT+13 (04:16 UTC), 576 km (358 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M5.6 Fiji region. This one was a foreshock.

Nuku‘alofa forecast More in Fiji

Map

Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.

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The earthquake

Magnitude: 5.4 (Mww, W-phase moment), moderate
Magnitude from: USGS National Earthquake Information Center
Local time: Wed, Oct 12, 2016, 5:16 PM GMT+13
UTC: 2016-10-12 04:16:24 UTC
Depth: 576.2 km (358.1 mi), deep
Epicenter: 20.873° S, 178.602° W
Region: Fiji
Strongest shaking: I, not felt shaking
PAGER alert: Green
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
5.4	Mww, W-phase moment	USGS National Earthquake Information Center	Preferred · Reviewed
5.39	Mw, moment	ISC-GEM global catalog	Final · ±0.1

Shaking

The USGS ShakeMap: shaking estimated from seismic stations and the quake’s size, on the Modified Mercalli intensity scale.

Strongest estimated: I, not felt shaking
Map: Automatic

USGS ShakeMap: estimated shaking intensity around the epicenter — Estimated shaking intensity. Map: USGS ShakeMap.

Did you feel it?

No one has reported feeling this quake to the USGS.

Estimated impact

The USGS PAGER system estimates deaths and economic losses from the shaking and the population and buildings exposed to it.

Alert level: Green: little or no damage or loss of life expected

Fault motion and ground failure

How the rock slipped, from the moment tensor, and the USGS estimate of landslides and liquefaction.

Faulting: Strike-slip
Moment magnitude: 5.4 Mww
Nodal plane 1: Strike 355°, dip 75°, rake -27°
Nodal plane 2: Strike 93°, dip 63°, rake -163°

How well it is located

Reviewed by a seismologist.

Location uncertainty: About 10.2 km horizontally, 6.0 km in depth
Depth from: From location
Station coverage gap: 84°
Stations used: 223

Nearest places

Distance and direction from each place to the epicenter, with its forecast.

Nuku‘alofa, TongaPopulation 22,400. Forecast354 kmW

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 2.4 and up: 20 in the 60 days after this one and 10 in the 30 days before it.

After

Before

Earthquakes today Fiji earthquakes Live radar here

Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event us20007dc8 (also filed as gcmt20161012041624, iscgem609587099). Read Thu, Oct 1, 2026, 2:08 PM UTC.