M4.2 earthquake 131 km SW of Gataivai, Samoa
A magnitude 4.2 earthquake struck 131 km SW of Gataivai, Samoa on Sat, Oct 22, 2016, 1:43 AM GMT+14 (11:43 UTC), 33 km (21 mi) below the surface.
A larger quake followed: M4.7 125 km N 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
- 4.2 (mb, body-wave), light
- Magnitude from
- USGS National Earthquake Information Center
- Local time
- UTC
- 2016-10-21 11:43:01 UTC
- Depth
- 33.3 km (20.7 mi), shallow
- Epicenter
- 14.642° S, 173.224° 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.
- Location uncertainty
- About 7.8 km horizontally, 6.0 km in depth
- Magnitude uncertainty
- ±0.20
- Depth from
- From location
- Station coverage gap
- 94°
- Stations used
- 14
Nearest places
Distance and direction from each place to the epicenter, with its forecast.
Nearby
Within 100 km, magnitude 1.5 and up: 5 in the 60 days after this one and 2 in the 30 days before it.
After
- 4.7125 km N of Hihifo, Tonga · 3620 days ago · 10 km deep · 77 km away
- 4.7123 km N of Hihifo, Tonga · 3608 days ago · 14 km deep · 48 km away
- 4.7116 km NE of Hihifo, Tonga · 3604 days ago · 39 km deep · 78 km away
- 4.3140 km NE of Hihifo, Tonga · 3591 days ago · 10 km deep · 35 km away
- 4.6115 km NNE of Hihifo, Tonga · 3579 days ago · 23 km deep · 48 km away
Before
Earthquakes todaySamoa earthquakesLive radar here
Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event us100072ek. Read Sat, Oct 3, 2026, 11:31 AM UTC.