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Country profile · USGS ComCat

Earthquakes in Fiji

Fiji has catalogued 4,530 M4+ earthquakes since 2005 (ranked 16th of 187 countries), with the strongest reaching magnitude M7.9.

Fiji ranks 16th of 187 countries by catalogued seismic activity - a highly seismically active country, averaging about 216 M4+ events a year alongside 118 significant M6+ earthquakes since 1900. Its M6+ record runs from 1909 to 2023, peaking in 2000.

4,530
M4+ events (since 2005)
118
Major M6+ (since 1900)
M7.9
Strongest
~216
M4+ per year

The verdict

Fiji is among the more seismically active places worldwide, with 4,530 M4+ earthquakes logged since 2005 and 118 major M6+ events since 1900, the strongest reaching magnitude 7.9.

2000
busiest year (6 major events)
293 km
average recorded event depth
51%
of events are shallow (<70 km, the most damaging kind)

Average catalogued magnitude is 4.4 - most events are moderate M4-5 tremors that are felt but rarely cause damage. On the M4+ activity ladder Greece sits immediately above at 4,616 events and Argentina sits immediately below at 4,405.

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Catalog event strip

Event tape FIJI · Fiji M4+ · 16th/187

Fiji · 4,530 M4+ · max M7.9 · 118 M6+

  • DEPTH 4,530
  • PHOTO 16th/187
  • BUSY M7.9
  • SHAL 118
  • PCT near Greece
  • VS-PEER 51% shallow

Stamps derive from this country's USGS ComCat row (M4+ book, rank, peak magnitude, M6+ record, ladder neighbour, depth/peak year), not a hazard forecast. PlainQuake is informational only - not professional advice and not a substitute for official USGS guidance. See our disclaimer. Verify with USGS ComCat → · Read with methodology → · How earthquakes are measured → · Reading earthquake data → · All country catalog rows → · Countries ranked →

Observed impact record

What ComCat observed after earthquakes in Fiji

USGS recorded Modified Mercalli Intensity (MMI) for 33 events in this catalogued record; their average observed intensity was MMI 4.4. These are only events with an observation, not an estimate of future shaking or a safety rating.

MMI observations
33
Average observed MMI
4.4
PAGER alerts / tsunami flags
15 / 5

Source: USGS Comprehensive Earthquake Catalog (ComCat) GeoJSON impact fields. Missing MMI, alert, and tsunami values remain unreported rather than being treated as zero.

1. India4,0992. Argentina4,4053. Fiji4,5304. Greece4,6165. Peru4,6216. China4,994
M4+ catalog count for Fiji and nearest-count peers. Source: USGS ComCat, 2005–present.

Where Fiji sits in the catalog

Rank 16th of 187 tracked countries (91th percentile by M4+ count since 2005). On the M4+ activity ladder Greece sits immediately above at 4,616 events and Argentina sits immediately below at 4,405.

  • Greece - next more active (4,616 M4+)
  • Argentina - next less active (4,405 M4+)

Fiji's M4+ count vs. every tracked country

Total catalogued M4+ events since 2005, USGS ComCat

4,530 Top 9% higher than 91% of 187 countries

0–500: 143 countries (76%). Below this entry. 500–1,000: 11 countries (6%). Below this entry. 1,000–1,500: 5 countries (3%). Below this entry. 1,500–2,000: 5 countries (3%). Below this entry. 2,000–2,500: 1 countries (1%). Below this entry. 2,500–3,000: 1 countries (1%). Below this entry. 3,000–3,500: 2 countries (1%). Below this entry. 3,500–4,000: 1 countries (1%). Below this entry. 4,000–4,500: 2 countries (1%). Below this entry. 4,500–5,000: 4 countries (2%). This entry sits in this band. 5,000–5,500: 12 countries (6%). Above this entry. Fiji 0 5,000+ every tracked country, bucketed by value

Each bar is a 500-wide band; taller bars hold more countries. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.

Source USGS Comprehensive Earthquake Catalog (ComCat) · 2005-present

Major (M6+) earthquakes in Fiji by year

Count of significant (magnitude 6.0+) events catalogued each year

Value

What this shows Fiji's most active year for major earthquakes was 2000 (6 M6+ events). Major-quake counts are irregular, they track the episodic release of tectonic stress, not a smooth trend.

Source USGS Comprehensive Earthquake Catalog (ComCat) As of 2005–present
0%100%0.7%
Share of Fiji's M4+ catalog that reached significant M6+ severity

30 of 4,530 catalogued M4+ events since 2005 reached M6.0 or higher.

Magnitude distribution of major events

Breakdown of the 118 significant (M6+) earthquakes on record for Fiji.

How the 118 total breaks down by magnitude M6.0-6.9 is the largest share -- 91.5%

M7.0-7.9

10

8.5%

M6.0-6.9

108

91.5%

Depth of major earthquakes

Hypocentral depth of the 118 M6+ events, shallow quakes shake the surface hardest. Average depth: 293 km.

Fiji50.8%49.2%Shallow (<70 km)Intermediate (70-300 km)Deep (>300 km)
Depth distribution of Fiji's M6+ events, USGS ComCat

Shallow (<70 km)

60

50.8% of events

Intermediate (70–300 km)

0

0.0% of events

Deep (>300 km)

58

49.2% of events

Strongest earthquakes in Fiji

The 10 most powerful events on record (USGS, since 1900).

Mag Location Depth
7.9 45 km S of Levuka, Fiji 670.8 km
7.6 240 km E of Levuka, Fiji 562.5 km
7.6 178 km E of Levuka, Fiji 550.0 km
7.4 227 km E of Levuka, Fiji 550.0 km
7.3 77 km ENE of Ba, Fiji 595.0 km
7.2 178 km ENE of Levuka, Fiji 537.2 km
7.1 208 km ENE of Levuka, Fiji 565.5 km
7.1 230 km S of Suva, Fiji 538.3 km
7.1 217 km E of Levuka, Fiji 600.0 km
7.0 217 km ENE of Levuka, Fiji 570.0 km

Significant earthquake record (118 events)

Every catalogued magnitude-6.0-and-above earthquake in Fiji since 1900, most recent first.

Mag Location Depth
6.5 185 km ENE of Levuka, Fiji 560.0 km
6.0 665 km S of Suva, Fiji 523.0 km
6.1 141 km E of Levuka, Fiji 639.2 km
6.2 85 km W of Labasa, Fiji 10.0 km
6.2 221 km E of Levuka, Fiji 578.2 km
6.8 187 km E of Levuka, Fiji 540.0 km
6.7 279 km E of Levuka, Fiji 550.0 km
7.9 45 km S of Levuka, Fiji 670.8 km
6.4 284 km ESE of Labasa, Fiji 415.6 km
6.0 215 km E of Levuka, Fiji 556.9 km
6.4 195 km E of Levuka, Fiji 544.0 km
6.0 245 km E of Levuka, Fiji 628.0 km
6.0 195 km SW of Nadi, Fiji 10.0 km
6.9 225 km SW of Nadi, Fiji 12.0 km
6.1 253 km WNW of Lautoka, Fiji 10.0 km
6.0 122 km E of Levuka, Fiji 602.9 km
6.4 227 km ENE of Levuka, Fiji 551.7 km
6.0 146 km ENE of Labasa, Fiji 6.0 km
6.1 189 km ENE of Labasa, Fiji 15.2 km
6.3 154 km ENE of Labasa, Fiji 9.0 km
6.4 241 km E of Levuka, Fiji 522.6 km
7.3 77 km ENE of Ba, Fiji 595.0 km
6.3 193 km ENE of Levuka, Fiji 553.8 km
6.1 206 km SE of Levuka, Fiji 688.0 km
6.5 203 km SE of Levuka, Fiji 676.4 km
6.1 213 km ENE of Levuka, Fiji 564.4 km
6.5 130 km NNW of Lautoka, Fiji 14.0 km
6.1 116 km E of Levuka, Fiji 622.4 km
6.7 245 km E of Levuka, Fiji 597.5 km
6.0 166 km WSW of Nadi, Fiji 10.0 km
7.1 208 km ENE of Levuka, Fiji 565.5 km
6.0 280 km SE of Levuka, Fiji 673.1 km
6.0 211 km E of Levuka, Fiji 582.6 km
6.0 213 km E of Levuka, Fiji 563.8 km
6.2 36 km ENE of Suva, Fiji 665.8 km
6.2 141 km W of Labasa, Fiji 10.0 km
6.3 145 km W of Labasa, Fiji 10.0 km
6.3 174 km ENE of Levuka, Fiji 564.1 km
6.2 204 km SSW of Suva, Fiji 10.0 km
6.1 187 km S of Nadi, Fiji 10.0 km
6.2 89 km NNE of Labasa, Fiji 33.0 km
6.0 275 km SE of Levuka, Fiji 687.6 km
6.0 128 km W of Nadi, Fiji 33.0 km
6.5 229 km E of Levuka, Fiji 515.8 km
6.0 187 km ENE of Levuka, Fiji 538.0 km
6.2 211 km ENE of Levuka, Fiji 535.0 km
6.0 264 km E of Levuka, Fiji 590.4 km
6.1 139 km ENE of Labasa, Fiji 33.0 km
7.2 178 km ENE of Levuka, Fiji 537.2 km
6.6 159 km ENE of Labasa, Fiji 33.0 km
6.7 149 km ENE of Labasa, Fiji 23.4 km
6.0 197 km SW of Nadi, Fiji 33.0 km
6.0 139 km WNW of Labasa, Fiji 33.0 km
6.0 257 km E of Levuka, Fiji 590.9 km
7.6 240 km E of Levuka, Fiji 562.5 km
6.1 238 km ENE of Levuka, Fiji 533.3 km
6.0 208 km E of Levuka, Fiji 554.5 km
6.3 60 km ENE of Levuka, Fiji 599.3 km
6.9 195 km E of Levuka, Fiji 565.1 km
6.3 228 km E of Levuka, Fiji 588.9 km
6.7 126 km NE of Labasa, Fiji 9.7 km
6.4 209 km E of Levuka, Fiji 565.0 km
6.5 219 km ESE of Levuka, Fiji 499.2 km
6.0 84 km SW of Nadi, Fiji 10.0 km
6.2 182 km E of Levuka, Fiji 537.6 km
6.3 156 km SSW of Nadi, Fiji 33.0 km
6.0 135 km SSW of Nadi, Fiji 31.4 km
6.0 214 km E of Levuka, Fiji 570.3 km
7.1 230 km S of Suva, Fiji 538.3 km
6.0 227 km E of Levuka, Fiji 540.0 km
6.2 166 km W of Nadi, Fiji 10.0 km
6.5 280 km E of Levuka, Fiji 645.8 km
6.4 200 km NNW of Ba, Fiji 10.0 km
6.3 110 km NNW of Lautoka, Fiji 13.0 km
6.3 152 km NE of Labasa, Fiji 33.0 km
6.0 157 km ENE of Labasa, Fiji 33.0 km
6.0 219 km E of Levuka, Fiji 591.0 km
6.9 78 km ESE of Labasa, Fiji 33.0 km
6.0 220 km E of Levuka, Fiji 602.0 km
6.5 299 km SE of Levuka, Fiji 655.1 km
6.8 281 km WNW of Lautoka, Fiji 10.0 km
6.1 273 km E of Levuka, Fiji 556.4 km
6.0 198 km NW of Lautoka, Fiji 20.0 km
6.3 115 km W of Labasa, Fiji 18.7 km
6.4 228 km E of Levuka, Fiji 594.4 km
6.2 277 km E of Levuka, Fiji 645.0 km
6.5 217 km E of Levuka, Fiji 543.7 km
7.0 217 km ENE of Levuka, Fiji 570.0 km
6.2 172 km S of Suva, Fiji 20.0 km
6.1 156 km ENE of Labasa, Fiji 25.0 km
6.3 168 km ENE of Labasa, Fiji 25.0 km
6.0 148 km ENE of Labasa, Fiji 25.0 km
6.4 134 km NNW of Lautoka, Fiji 32.5 km
6.1 112 km WNW of Labasa, Fiji 15.0 km
6.3 228 km SSW of Nadi, Fiji 15.0 km
6.2 161 km ENE of Labasa, Fiji 15.0 km
6.2 95 km WSW of Nadi, Fiji 15.0 km
6.4 29 km SSW of Suva, Fiji 10.0 km
6.3 112 km SSW of Suva, Fiji 20.0 km
6.9 130 km ENE of Labasa, Fiji 15.0 km

Showing the first 100 of 118 significant events.

Other countries in this catalog sample

A Fiji-keyed shuffle of the full 186-country roster, not the six nearest by count.

Spain

93 M4+ events · strongest M6.3

M6.3

Mayotte

232 M4+ events · strongest M5.9

M5.9

Nicaragua

1,423 M4+ events · strongest M6.6

M6.6

Grenada

19 M4+ events · strongest M5.5

M5.5

United Arab Emirates

6 M4+ events · strongest M4.7

M4.7

Indonesia

37,915 M4+ events · strongest M8.6

M8.6

Peak-magnitude sample from the same roster

A second Fiji-keyed shuffle of countries with a recorded max magnitude.

Showing 6 of 186 countries with a recorded max magnitude.

Vanuatu

7,620 M4+ events

M7.8

Cayman Islands

109 M4+ events

M7.6

Solomon Islands

6,147 M4+ events

M7.8

Honduras

270 M4+ events

M7.5

Turkey

2,252 M4+ events

M7.8

Pakistan

1,270 M4+ events

M7.7

According to the US Geological Survey Earthquake Hazards Program, PlainQuake's figures are rendered directly from 317,293 recorded M4+ earthquakes and 14,444 significant M6+ events (USGS ComCat, 2005-present) -- no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of 2026-08-26.