Back to map
Fiji · Eastern

M5.1 Earthquake near Lau, Eastern (Fiji)

UTC time: 2026-10-08 10:07:28 UTC Local time: —

Map

M5.1 Earthquake near Lau, Eastern (Fiji) · 2026-10-08 — Map showing the location of the epicenter
M5.1 Earthquake near Lau, Eastern (Fiji) · 2026-10-08 — Map showing the location of the epicenter

About this earthquake

A magnitude M5.1 earthquake was recorded near Lau, Eastern (Fiji) on October 8, 2026 at 10:07 UTC. The deep hypocenter at about 602 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
daf41ebe2b6cf0c130f3cb1f006c1d7425c36fb3
Magnitude
M5.1
Depth
602.3 km
UTC time
2026-10-08 10:07:28 UTC
Local time
—
Country
Fiji
State
Eastern
City
Lau
County
Lau
Source
usgs
Coordinates
-18.01470, -178.45450
Temperature
24.4°C

Depth profile

Depth profile Depth: 602.3 km (Deep) Surface Shallow Intermediate Deep 0 km 70 km 300 km 700 km 602.3 km
Deep
602.3 km
602.3 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 204 km away

Nearby population centers

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

PlaceDistanceDirectionPopulation
Labasa290.8 kmNW27'949

GeoNames · CC BY 4.0

Volcanoes nearby

  • Taveuni
    Distance: 207 km ·Shield ·Elevation: 1'241 m ·Last eruption: 1550 ·Fiji
  • Lobster
    Distance: 377 km ·Shield ·Elevation: -1'500 m ·Tonga
  • Lateiki
    Distance: 399 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: 43 m ·Last eruption: 2019 ·Tonga
  • Home Reef
    Distance: 403 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: -10 m ·Last eruption: 2026 ·Tonga
  • Niuafo'ou
    Distance: 403 km ·Shield ·Elevation: 260 m ·Last eruption: 1946 ·Tonga
  • Tofua
    Distance: 405 km ·Caldera ·Elevation: 515 m ·Last eruption: 2026 ·Tonga

Radius · 100 km

Nearby infrastructure

Up to 3 nearest sites per category

Airports

  • Lakeba Island AirportFiji · LKB · NFNK
    43.5 kmStraight-line distance
  • Cicia AirportFiji · ICI · NFCI
    98.6 kmStraight-line distance
  • Vanua Balavu AirportFiji · VBV · NFVB
    99.6 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

Comparison of seismic sources

3 sources currently report magnitudes from M4.8 to M5.1.

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

SourceMagnitudeDepthPosition difference
EMSCM5.1602.3 km0.0 km
GFZM4.8595.0 km6.3 km
USGSM5.1602.3 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#27
Earlier events M≥4276
Earlier events M≥546
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 UTC95.7 kmFiji Islands Region M5.72026-05-15 21:14:31 UTC95.2 km M5.62026-08-12 22:13:34 UTC25.9 kmLau M5.62025-11-08 04:15:04 UTC91.0 kmFiji region M5.62025-08-26 01:32:48 UTC19.3 kmFIJI REGION

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.

Share