Significant M5.6 Earthquake hit in the South Pacific Ocean 281km from Suva (Fiji) on Wednesday Evening.

Written by Earthquakelist.org on July 2nd, 2025. Last updated July 19th, 2025.

In the evening of Wednesday July 2nd, 2025, a significant M5.6 earthquake hit in the South Pacific Ocean 281 kilometer from Suva, Fiji. 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, 131 kilometers (81 mi) off the coast of Fiji, 281 kilometer east-northeast of Suva in Central. The center of this earthquake had a deep depth of 515 km.

Date and Time:	Jul 2, 2025 19:15 (Fiji Time) - Jul 2, 2025 07:15 Universal Time.
Location:	281 km ENE of Suva, Central, Fiji. Coordinates 17°35'15"S 178°57'58"W.
Map:	Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps.
Magnitude:	MAG 5.6 Detected by 25 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.062 .
Depth:	515 km (320 mi) A 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

This earthquake may have been felt by around 2 thousand people. That is the expected population size of the area exposed to a level of shaking of II or higher on the Modified Mercalli scale according to the USGS.

The highest earthquake impact level for this earthquake is II, which corresponds with very weak shaking and no damage. Roughly 1,920 people are expected to be exposed to this level. Intensity level I was experienced by the majority of people (around 130 thousand). In their region, not noticeable and no damage can be expected. All exposure to shaking was within the borders of Fiji .

People	MMI Level	Shaking	Damage
126,800	I	Not noticable	None
1,920	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 219 kilometer (136 mi) south-east of the epicenter. The intensity of shaking and damage in Labasa is estimated to be around level I on the Modified Mercalli Intensity scale (not noticeable, no damage).

Overview of nearby places

Cities and Towns around the epicenter of this earthquake.
Distance	Place	Intensity (MMI)
219 km (136 mi) NW from epicenter	Labasa Northern, Fiji.	I Not felt
281 km (175 mi) WSW from epicenter	Suva Central, Fiji.

Earthquake Intensity Map

The intensity in shaking and damage by this earthquake is illustrated through the map below. The highest intensity measured for this earthquake is II.

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.

Aftershocks detected

In the days before this main shock, 2 smaller foreshocks were detected. Roughly 19 hrs before this earthquake, a foreshock measuring MAG-4.8 was detected nearby this earthquake.

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
Foreshock	M 4.8	19 hrs earlier Jul 1, 2025 23:51 (Fiji Time)	33 km (20 mi) ESE from Main Shock.
Foreshock	M 4.4	15 hrs earlier Jul 2, 2025 04:35 (Fiji Time)	29 km (18 mi) ESE from Main Shock.
Main Shock This Earthquake	M 5.6	Jul 2, 2025 19:15 (Fiji Time)	-

More earthquakes coming?

Earthquakes can create aftershocks. These are generally at least 1 magnitude lower than any main shock, and as time passes the chance and strength of aftershocks decreases.

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 November 23rd, 2024, when a 5.9 magnitude earthquake hit 56 km (35 mi) further east-southeast. An even stronger magnitude 8.2 earthquake struck on August 19th, 2018.

In total, 54 earthquakes with a magnitude of 5.6 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 2 months.

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 5.6. Earthquakes of this strength are unlikely to trigger a tsunami.	Not this earthquake. This earthquake occurred at a depth of 515 km (320 mi). Earthquakes this deep in the earth are unlikely to trigger a tsunami.

Sources

Last updated 19/07/25 08:38 (). 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.