Significant M5.4 Earthquake hit in the South Pacific Ocean 278km from Labasa (Fiji) on Monday Night.

Written by Earthquakelist.org on January 12th, 2025. Last updated January 20th, 2025.

A significant Magnitude 5.4 earthquake struck in the South Pacific Ocean 278 kilometer from Labasa, Fiji deep in the night of Monday January 13th, 2025. Such earthquakes in regions like this usually have a minimal impact on people and the economy.

Earthquake Summary

This earthquake hit under water in the South Pacific Ocean, 191 kilometers (118 mi) off the coast of Fiji, 278 kilometer east-southeast of Labasa in Northern. The center of this earthquake had a very deep depth of 608 km. Deep earthquakes usually have less impact than shallower earthquakes of similar strenght.

Date and Time:	Jan 13, 2025 03:03 (Fiji Time) - Jan 12, 2025 15:03 Universal Time.
Location:	278 km ESE of Labasa, Northern, Fiji. Coordinates 17°49'33"S 178°27'42"W.
Map:	Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps.
Magnitude:	MAG 5.4 Detected by 5 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.139 .
Depth:	608 km (378 mi) A very deep depth.
Max. Intensity:	II Weak On the Modified Mercalli Scale.
Tsunami Risk:	Tsunami very unlikely Earthquakes under MAG-6.5 at depths deeper than 100km are very unlikely to cause tsunami's. Always stay cautious - More info here.

Minimal impact predicted

Based on scientific estimates by the US Geographic Survey (USGS), the risk of high fatalities for this earthquake is classified at level GREEN (low). They expect an 65% likelyhood of between 0 and 1 fatalities, and a 96% chance that the number of fatalities falls no higher than 10.

The USGS classifies the economic impact of this earthquake at level GREEN (low). They expect an 65% likelyhood of between 0 and 1 million US Dollars in economic damage and impact, and a 96% chance that the economic impact of this earthquake falls no higher than 10 million USD.

Not many people felt this earthquake

All exposure to shaking was within the borders of Fiji .

People	MMI Level	Shaking	Damage
38,850	I	Not noticable	None
0	II	Very weak	None
0	III	Weak	Probably none
0	IV	Light	Likely none
0	V	Moderate	Very light
0	VI	Strong	Light
0	VII	Very Strong	Moderate
0	VIII	Severe	Moderate to heavy
0	IX	Violent	Heavy
0	X	Extreme	Very heavy

Nearby towns and cities

This earthquake may have been felt in Fiji . The closest significant population center near the earthquake is Labasa in Northern, Fiji. Labasa is located 278 kilometer (173 mi) east-southeast of the epicenter.

Overview of nearby places

Cities and Towns around the epicenter of this earthquake.
Distance	Place
278 km (173 mi) WNW from epicenter	Labasa Northern, Fiji.

Earthquake Intensity Map

The maximum intensity (MMI Scale) caused by this earthquake is I. The map below shows in which areas this earthquake was the most and least impactful. It is based on data from the US Geographic Survey.

I Not felt

II Weak

III Weak

IV Light

V Moderate

VI Strong

VII Very Strong

VIII Severe

IX Violent

X Extreme

Earthquake Intensity Map based on Shakemap Data provided by USGS.

Shaking reported by 1 person

People that feel an earthquake may report their experience to the US Geographic Survey. Currently, 1 person has reported shaking in one place in Fiji Islands.We keep updating this article as more ground reports become available. You may report that you felt this earthquake here.

Places with most reports:

Suva, Central, Fiji Islands: 1 person.

Aftershocks detected

After this earthquake struck, 1 smaller aftershock occurred. At a distance of 37 km (23 mi) south-southeast of this earthquake, an aftershock struck 1 day later. It measured a magnitude of 4.7

Overview of foreshocks and aftershocks

Detected MAG2.5+ earthquakes within within 100km (62 mi), that occurred in the three days before and after the main shock.
Classification	Magnitude	When	Where
Main Shock This Earthquake	M 5.4	Jan 13, 2025 03:03 (Fiji Time)	-
Aftershock	M 4.7	1 day later Jan 14, 2025 04:35 (Fiji Time)	37 km (23 mi) SSE from Main Shock.

More earthquakes coming?

Aftershocks are usually at least 1 order of magnitude less strong than main shocks. The more time passes, the smaller the chance and likely strength of any potential aftershocks.

In only six percent of cases, significant earthquakes are followed by a larger main shock, making the current earthquake a foreshock. While the chance of this happening is not so large, it is adviced to maintain cautiousness in the hours and days following a major earthquake.

Read: How to Stay Safe during an Earthquake (cdc.gov).

Earthquakes like this happen often in the region

Earthquakes of this strength are very common in the region. This is the strongest earthquake to hit since December 28th, 2024, when a 5.5 magnitude earthquake hit 299 km (186 mi) further south-southeast. An even stronger magnitude 8.2 earthquake struck on August 19th, 2018.

In total, 116 earthquakes with a magnitude of 5.4 or higher have been registered within 300km (186 mi) of this epicenter in the past 10 years. This comes down to an average of once every month.

Tsunami very unlikely

DISCLAIMER: We strongly suggest to closely monitor advice from local authorities with regards to tsunami risks. Our analysis is based on automatically collected data from external sources, and these might contain mistakes. In addition, earthquakes can cause landslides that may lead to a tsunami, or be a followed by another, potentially stonger, earthquake.

For a serious tsunami to occur, earthquakes usually need to have a magnitude of at least 6.5 and occur at a shallow depth of maximum 100km. Neither are the case with this earthquake. However always stay cautious and monitor advice from local authorities.

Tsunami Risk Factors

Factor	Under Sea?	MAG-6.5 or stronger?	Shallow depth?
Explanation	Almost all tsunami's are caused by earthquakes with their epicenter under sea or very near the sea. However stay cautious in coastal areas as earthquakes on land may cause landslides into sea, potentially still causing a local tsunami.	Under MAG 6.5: Very unlikely to cause a tsunami. MAG 6.5 to 7.5: Destructive tsunami's do occur, but are uncommon. Likely to observe small sea level changes. MAG 7.6+: Earthquakes with these magnitudes might produce destructive tsunami's.	Most destructive tsunami's are caused by shallow earthquakes with a depth between 0 and 100km under the surface of the earth. Deeper tsunami's are unlikely to displace to ocean floor.
This Earthquake	This earthquake appears to have struck under the sea.	Not this earthquake. This earthquake had a magnitude of 5.4. Earthquakes of this strength are unlikely to trigger a tsunami.	Not this earthquake. This earthquake occurred at a depth of 608 km (378 mi). Earthquakes this deep in the earth are unlikely to trigger a tsunami.

Sources

Last updated 20/01/25 14:48 (). This article is automatically generated based on available data. We keep checking multiple sources for additional information. This article gets updated as new details on this earthquake become available.