M5.5 earthquake Fiji region
A magnitude 5.5 earthquake struck in the Fiji region on Sun, Dec 17, 2017, 12:22 AM GMT+13 (11:22 UTC), 392 km (244 mi) below the surface.
A larger quake followed: M6.0 254 km SSE of Alo, Wallis and Futuna. This one was a foreshock.
Map
Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.
The earthquake
- Magnitude
- 5.5 (mww), moderate
- Local time
- UTC
- 2017-12-16 11:22:24 UTC
- Depth
- 391.9 km (243.5 mi), deep
- Epicenter
- 17.336° S, 177.537° W
- Region
- Fiji
- Strongest shaking
- II, weak shaking
- PAGER alert
- Green
- Tsunami flag
- No
- Status
- Reviewed by a seismologist
Shaking
The USGS ShakeMap: shaking estimated from seismic stations and the quake’s size, on the Modified Mercalli intensity scale.
- Strongest estimated
- II, weak shaking
- Peak ground acceleration
- 13.0% of gravity
- Peak ground velocity
- 0.1 cm/s
- Map
- Automatic
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
| Range | Chance |
|---|---|
| Under 1 | 65% |
| 1 to 10 | 30% |
| 10 to 100 | 4% |
| 100 to 1,000 | Under 1% |
| 1,000 to 10,000 | Under 1% |
| 10,000 to 100,000 | Under 1% |
| 100,000 to 10,000,000 | Under 1% |
| Range, million USD | Chance |
|---|---|
| Under 1 | 65% |
| 1 to 10 | 30% |
| 10 to 100 | 4% |
| 100 to 1,000 | Under 1% |
| 1,000 to 10,000 | Under 1% |
| 10,000 to 100,000 | Under 1% |
| 100,000 to 10,000,000 | Under 1% |
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
- 5.5 Mww
- Nodal plane 1
- Strike 14°, dip 48°, rake 10°
- Nodal plane 2
- Strike 278°, dip 83°, rake 137°
How well it is located
Reviewed by a seismologist.
- Location uncertainty
- About 11.3 km horizontally, 4.6 km in depth
- Magnitude uncertainty
- ±0.09
- Depth from
- From location
- Station coverage gap
- 68°
- Stations used
- 165
Nearest places
Distance and direction from each place to the epicenter, with its forecast.
Nearby
Within 100 km, magnitude 2.5 and up: 9 in the 60 days after this one and 1 in the 30 days before it.
After
- 4.0Fiji region · 3194 days ago · 366 km deep · 58 km away
- 4.2250 km ENE of Levuka, Fiji · 3190 days ago · 475 km deep · 94 km away
- 4.2Fiji region · 3183 days ago · 520 km deep · 79 km away
- 4.3Fiji region · 3177 days ago · 380 km deep · 60 km away
- 4.3264 km E of Levuka, Fiji · 3175 days ago · 545 km deep · 82 km away
- 4.7294 km E of Levuka, Fiji · 3169 days ago · 568 km deep · 94 km away
- 6.0254 km SSE of Alo, Wallis and Futuna · 3163 days ago · 10 km deep · 91 km away · felt by 3
- 4.4Fiji region · 3158 days ago · 431 km deep · 40 km away
- 4.3269 km E of Levuka, Fiji · 3156 days ago · 521 km deep · 96 km away
Before
Earthquakes todayFiji earthquakesLive radar here
Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event us2000c57n (also filed as iscgem616640716). Read Wed, Sep 30, 2026, 9:47 PM UTC.