Fiji earthquakes

M4.6 earthquake 281 km E of Levuka, Fiji

A magnitude 4.6 earthquake struck 281 km E of Levuka, Fiji on Mon, Aug 20, 2018, 12:44 PM GMT+12 (00:44 UTC), 574 km (357 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M5.5 264 km E of Levuka, Fiji. This one was a foreshock.

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Map

Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.

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The earthquake

Magnitude: 4.6 (mb), light
Local time: Mon, Aug 20, 2018, 12:44 PM GMT+12
UTC: 2018-08-20 00:44:27 UTC
Depth: 574.3 km (356.9 mi), deep
Epicenter: 18.112° S, 178.020° W
Region: Fiji
Strongest shaking: I, not felt 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: I, not felt shaking
Peak ground acceleration: 2.0% of gravity
Peak ground velocity: 0.0 cm/s
Map: Automatic

USGS ShakeMap: estimated shaking intensity around the epicenter — Estimated shaking intensity. Map: USGS ShakeMap.

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

Deaths: estimated chance of each range
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%

Economic losses: estimated chance of each range
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%

How well it is located

Reviewed by a seismologist.

Location uncertainty: About 10.0 km horizontally, 6.0 km in depth
Magnitude uncertainty: ±0.03
Depth from: From location
Station coverage gap: 56°
Stations used: 280

Nearest places

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

Labasa, FijiPopulation 27,949. Forecast335 kmSE

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 1.6 and up: 200 in the 60 days after this one and 0 in the 30 days before it.

After

The first 60 of 200.

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Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event us1000gdmg. Read Tue, Sep 22, 2026, 10:32 PM UTC.