M5.7 earthquake 137 km SW of Gataivai, Samoa
A magnitude 5.7 earthquake struck 137 km SW of Gataivai, Samoa on Tue, Aug 15, 2017, 7:01 PM GMT+13 (06:01 UTC), 8 km (5 mi) below the surface.
Map
Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.
The earthquake
- Magnitude
- 5.7 (Mww, W-phase moment), moderate
- Magnitude from
- USGS National Earthquake Information Center
- Local time
- UTC
- 2017-08-15 06:01:44 UTC
- Depth
- 8.0 km (5.0 mi), shallow
- Epicenter
- 14.797° S, 173.116° W
- Region
- Samoa
- Strongest shaking
- IV, light 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5.7 | Mww, W-phase moment | USGS National Earthquake Information Center | Preferred · Reviewed · ±0.071 · 19 stations |
| 5.7 | Mw, moment | ISC-GEM global catalog | Final · ±0.1 |
| 6.0 | Mi | NOAA Pacific Tsunami Warning Center | Reviewed · 5 stations |
| 5.7 | Mwb, body-wave moment | USGS National Earthquake Information Center | Moment tensor · Reviewed |
Shaking
The USGS ShakeMap: shaking estimated from seismic stations and the quake’s size, on the Modified Mercalli intensity scale.
- Strongest estimated
- IV, light shaking
- Peak ground acceleration
- 77.0% of gravity
- Peak ground velocity
- 1.2 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
- 5.7 Mww
- Nodal plane 1
- Strike 118°, dip 63°, rake 21°
- Nodal plane 2
- Strike 18°, dip 71°, rake 152°
How well it is located
Reviewed by a seismologist.
- Location uncertainty
- About 8.7 km horizontally, 1.8 km in depth
- Magnitude uncertainty
- ±0.07
- Depth from
- From modeling of broad-band P waveforms
- Station coverage gap
- 87°
- Stations used
- 105
Nearest places
Distance and direction from each place to the epicenter, with its forecast.
Nearby
Within 100 km, magnitude 2.7 and up: 7 in the 60 days after this one and 3 in the 30 days before it.
After
- 4.679 km NE of Hihifo, Tonga · 3335 days ago · 10 km deep · 75 km away
- 4.5114 km NE of Hihifo, Tonga · 3331 days ago · 10 km deep · 41 km away
- 5.161 km NNE of Hihifo, Tonga · 3313 days ago · 72 km deep · 91 km away · felt by 1
- 5.0157 km SSW of Lotofag?, Samoa · 3311 days ago · 10 km deep · 89 km away
- 4.7132 km ENE of Hihifo, Tonga · 3305 days ago · 10 km deep · 72 km away
- 4.6115 km NNE of Hihifo, Tonga · 3294 days ago · 11 km deep · 37 km away
- 4.465 km N of Hihifo, Tonga · 3284 days ago · 10 km deep · 95 km away
Before
Earthquakes todaySamoa earthquakesLive radar here
Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event us2000a8bb (also filed as pt17227000, iscgem611834634). Read Fri, Oct 2, 2026, 7:14 PM UTC.