Fiji earthquakes

M5.4 earthquake Fiji region

A magnitude 5.4 earthquake struck in the Fiji region on Tue, Dec 13, 2016, 4:46 PM GMT+14 (02:46 UTC), 451 km (280 mi) below the surface.

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: Tue, Dec 13, 2016, 4:46 PM GMT+14
UTC: 2016-12-13 02:46:34 UTC
Depth: 450.6 km (280.0 mi), deep
Epicenter: 18.851° S, 177.922° 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
5.4	Mww, W-phase moment	USGS National Earthquake Information Center	Preferred · Reviewed
5.44	Mw, moment	ISC-GEM global catalog	Final · ±0.1

Did you feel it?

No one has reported feeling this quake to the USGS.

Fault motion and ground failure

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

Faulting: Oblique reverse
Moment magnitude: 5.4 Mww
Nodal plane 1: Strike 229°, dip 72°, rake 50°
Nodal plane 2: Strike 119°, dip 43°, rake 154°

How well it is located

Reviewed by a seismologist.

Location uncertainty: About 4.5 km horizontally, 5.1 km in depth
Depth from: From location
Station coverage gap: 27°
Stations used: 212

Nearest places

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

Nuku‘alofa, TongaPopulation 22,400. Forecast381 kmNW

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 2.4 and up: 17 in the 60 days after this one and 9 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 us200080dk (also filed as iscgem609869895). Read Thu, Oct 1, 2026, 7:23 AM UTC.