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Fiji · Eastern

M5.3 Earthquake near Lau, Eastern (Fiji)

UTC time: 2026-08-12 22:13:34 UTC Local time: —
Earthquake newsQuakeMap24
Archive record · original publication time was not recorded

Automatically generated from measurement data by QuakeMap24. Values may change after further analysis.

Map

M5.3 Earthquake near Lau, Eastern (Fiji) · 2026-08-12 — Map showing the location of the epicenter
M5.3 Earthquake near Lau, Eastern (Fiji) · 2026-08-12 — Map showing the location of the epicenter

About this earthquake

A magnitude M5.3 earthquake was recorded near Lau, Eastern (Fiji) on August 12, 2026 at 22:13 UTC. The deep hypocenter at about 572 km dampens the shaking felt at the surface. Earthquakes of this magnitude can damage poorly built structures.

The event was recorded by USGS.

Details

ID
162255e667940e472a76b4ab0f0c228b34cd0b1b
Magnitude
M5.3
Depth
572.0 km
UTC time
2026-08-12 22:13:34 UTC
Local time
—
Country
Fiji
State
Eastern
City
Lau
County
Lau
Source
usgs
Coordinates
-17.86500, -178.54500
Temperature
23.7°C

Depth profile

Depth profile Depth: 572 km (Deep) Surface Shallow Intermediate Deep 0 km 70 km 300 km 700 km 572 km
Deep
572 km
572 km — close to the regional average (568.9 km)
Regional average: 568.9 km
Why depth matters

Deep quakes are felt over very large areas but rarely cause surface damage.

Depth classes per USGS

Tectonic context

Located on the Australia Plate.
Near the boundary Niuafoʻou ↔ Australia · about 202 km away

Nearby population centers

Distances are straight-line distances from the epicenter. Population data: GeoNames.

PlaceDistanceDirectionPopulation
Labasa273.3 kmNW27'949

GeoNames · CC BY 4.0

Volcanoes nearby

  • Taveuni
    Distance: 189 km ·Shield ·Elevation: 1'241 m ·Last eruption: 1550 ·Fiji
  • Lobster
    Distance: 371 km ·Shield ·Elevation: -1'500 m ·Tonga
  • Niuafo'ou
    Distance: 400 km ·Shield ·Elevation: 260 m ·Last eruption: 1946 ·Tonga
  • Dugong
    Distance: 404 km ·Shield ·Elevation: -1'170 m ·Tonga
  • Lateiki
    Distance: 414 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: 43 m ·Last eruption: 2019 ·Tonga
  • Home Reef
    Distance: 417 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: -10 m ·Last eruption: 2026 ·Tonga

Radius · 100 km

Nearby infrastructure

Up to 3 nearest sites per category

Airports

  • Lakeba Island AirportFiji · LKB · NFNK
    47.0 kmStraight-line distance
  • Vanua Balavu AirportFiji · VBV · NFVB
    80.5 kmStraight-line distance
  • Cicia AirportFiji · ICI · NFCI
    85.5 kmStraight-line distance

Source: OurAirports · Dataset date: 2026-10-05

This selection shows geographic proximity, not a hazard zone or confirmed impacts. Distances use recorded site coordinates. Sources & data dates

Subsequent earthquakes nearby

Events recorded after this earthquake within 150 km. They are not automatically classified as aftershocks.

First 6 hours0
First 24 hours1
First 72 hours1
Strongest subsequent eventM5.5
M4.82026-08-13 18:03:27 UTC138.4 kmLau M5.52026-08-17 00:07:12 UTC54.4 kmEvent of magnitude 5.5, near Nouméa (Monde) M5.02026-08-17 00:08:07 UTC25.0 kmLau M5.42026-08-19 18:45:30 UTC14.2 kmLau M5.32026-08-20 12:27:35 UTC17.2 kmLau M4.62026-08-23 05:39:21 UTC70.4 kmLau M4.62026-09-03 18:31:05 UTC146.3 kmFiji Islands Region M4.92026-09-06 21:08:42 UTC16.8 kmLau M4.42026-09-07 22:35:23 UTC55.8 kmLau

Comparison of seismic sources

3 sources currently report magnitudes from M5.3 to M5.6.

Measurements can differ because agencies use different networks and calculation methods. Values may be revised.

SourceMagnitudeDepthPosition difference
EMSCM5.6581.0 km7.9 km
GFZM5.6582.0 km8.7 km
USGSM5.3572.0 km0.0 km

Eastern

Context for this earthquake

05 Oct 2025 – 05 Oct 2026 · M ≥ 3.0 · 104 Catalogue entries

Sufficiently reliable matching data are not currently available for a direct comparison. The area profile shows the available records and their limitations.

Open seismic profile

Historical context nearby

Comparison with recorded earthquakes before this event within 150 km.

Magnitude rank#13
Earlier events M≥4262
Earlier events M≥541
Compared since2025-01-03

The QuakeMap24 comparison dataset begins on 2024-03-23. Earlier earthquakes may not be included.

Strongest earlier events

M5.72026-05-15 21:14:31 UTC81.1 kmFiji Islands Region M5.72026-05-15 21:14:31 UTC80.6 km M5.62025-11-08 04:15:04 UTC109.3 kmFiji region M5.62025-08-26 01:32:48 UTC0.1 kmFIJI REGION M5.62025-08-26 01:32:39 UTC0.2 km227 km E of Levuka, Fiji

Historic earthquake map · Fiji

Open history map
Explore recent and long-term earthquake activity in this country. Use filters to narrow down by magnitude, depth, and date range.

Country statistics · Fiji

Country overview
View earthquake KPIs, strongest and latest events, and averages for this country.

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