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Fiji · Eastern

M5.1 Earthquake near Lau, Eastern (Fiji)

UTC time: 2026-05-15 22:20:25 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

M5.1 Earthquake near Lau, Eastern (Fiji) · 2026-05-15 — Map showing the location of the epicenter
M5.1 Earthquake near Lau, Eastern (Fiji) · 2026-05-15 — Map showing the location of the epicenter

About this earthquake

On May 15, 2026 at 22:20 UTC, a magnitude M5.1 earthquake occurred near Lau, Eastern (Fiji). At roughly 581 km, the focus was very deep, so surface shaking tends to be weaker. Earthquakes of this magnitude can damage poorly built structures.

The event was recorded by EMSC.

Details

ID
5b0a5ae323c87ec01f4206807575f72ae348444f
Magnitude
M5.1
Depth
581.0 km
UTC time
2026-05-15 22:20:25 UTC
Local time
—
Country
Fiji
State
Eastern
City
Lau
County
Lau
Source
emsc
Coordinates
-17.82310, -178.64480
Temperature
26.5°C

Depth profile

Depth profile Depth: 581 km (Deep) Surface Shallow Intermediate Deep 0 km 70 km 300 km 700 km 581 km
Deep
581 km
581 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

Nearby population centers

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

PlaceDistanceDirectionPopulation
Labasa262.0 kmNW27'949

GeoNames · CC BY 4.0

Volcanoes nearby

  • Taveuni
    Distance: 178 km ·Shield ·Elevation: 1'241 m ·Last eruption: 1550 ·Fiji
  • Lobster
    Distance: 374 km ·Shield ·Elevation: -1'500 m ·Tonga
  • Niuafo'ou
    Distance: 405 km ·Shield ·Elevation: 260 m ·Last eruption: 1946 ·Tonga
  • Dugong
    Distance: 409 km ·Shield ·Elevation: -1'170 m ·Tonga
  • Lateiki
    Distance: 426 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: 43 m ·Last eruption: 2019 ·Tonga
  • Home Reef
    Distance: 428 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
    45.6 kmStraight-line distance
  • Vanua Balavu AirportFiji · VBV · NFVB
    70.9 kmStraight-line distance
  • Cicia AirportFiji · ICI · NFCI
    74.4 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 hours0
First 72 hours0
Strongest subsequent eventM5.1
M5.12026-05-19 03:16:07 UTC53.3 kmLau M4.62026-05-19 03:17:03 UTC10.4 kmLau M4.92026-05-19 03:17:04 UTC8.0 kmLau M4.22026-05-24 10:11:09 UTC45.6 kmLau M4.92026-05-26 20:35:10 UTC36.3 kmLau M4.72026-05-26 20:35:11 UTC38.3 kmLau M4.72026-06-01 05:16:15 UTC42.9 kmFiji Islands Region M5.02026-06-01 05:16:16 UTC59.0 km264 km E of Levuka, Fiji M5.02026-06-01 05:16:16 UTC54.1 kmFIJI REGION M4.92026-06-02 13:57:46 UTC18.2 kmLau M4.62026-06-02 13:57:46 UTC30.4 kmLau M4.62026-06-02 13:57:48 UTC24.2 kmLau

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#20
Earlier events M≥4228
Earlier events M≥535
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 UTC80.1 kmFiji Islands Region M5.72026-05-15 21:14:31 UTC79.7 km M5.62025-11-08 04:15:04 UTC120.2 kmFiji region M5.62025-08-26 01:32:48 UTC11.4 kmFIJI REGION M5.62025-08-26 01:32:39 UTC11.4 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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