Fiji earthquakes

M5.3 earthquake Fiji region

A magnitude 5.3 earthquake struck in the Fiji region on Tue, Sep 24, 2019, 8:18 PM GMT+13 (07:18 UTC), 523 km (325 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M5.8 274 km W of Haveluloto, Tonga. This one was a foreshock.

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), moderate
Local time: Tue, Sep 24, 2019, 8:18 PM GMT+13
UTC: 2019-09-24 07:18:37 UTC
Depth: 523.0 km (325.0 mi), deep
Epicenter: 20.871° S, 178.397° W
Region: Fiji
Tsunami flag: No
Status: Reviewed by a seismologist

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: Normal
Moment magnitude: 5.3 Mww
Nodal plane 1: Strike 230°, dip 31°, rake -92°
Nodal plane 2: Strike 53°, dip 59°, rake -89°

How well it is located

Reviewed by a seismologist.

Location uncertainty: About 10.5 km horizontally, 5.9 km in depth
Magnitude uncertainty: ±0.10
Depth from: From location
Station coverage gap: 65°
Stations used: 76

Nearest places

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

Nuku‘alofa, TongaPopulation 22,400. Forecast333 kmW

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 2.3 and up: 25 in the 60 days after this one and 9 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 us60005mlv (also filed as iscgem616494784). Read Sun, Sep 27, 2026, 12:21 PM UTC.