Fiji earthquakes

M5.3 earthquake Fiji region

A magnitude 5.3 earthquake struck in the Fiji region on Fri, Feb 17, 2017, 1:10 AM GMT+13 (12:10 UTC), 599 km (372 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: 5.3 (Mww, W-phase moment), moderate
Magnitude from: USGS National Earthquake Information Center
Local time: Fri, Feb 17, 2017, 1:10 AM GMT+13
UTC: 2017-02-16 12:10:01 UTC
Depth: 598.9 km (372.2 mi), deep
Epicenter: 20.752° S, 178.565° 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
5.3	Mww, W-phase moment	USGS National Earthquake Information Center	Preferred · Reviewed · ±0.103 · 9 stations
5.35	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 normal
Moment magnitude: 5.3 Mww
Nodal plane 1: Strike 178°, dip 36°, rake -141°
Nodal plane 2: Strike 55°, dip 68°, rake -60°

How well it is located

Reviewed by a seismologist.

Location uncertainty: About 10.5 km horizontally, 5.3 km in depth
Magnitude uncertainty: ±0.10
Depth from: From location
Station coverage gap: 61°
Stations used: 153

Nearest places

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

Nuku‘alofa, TongaPopulation 22,400. Forecast352 kmW

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 2.3 and up: 26 in the 60 days after this one and 12 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 us20008k6s (also filed as iscgem615092408). Read Thu, Oct 1, 2026, 9:31 AM UTC.