In the South Pacific Ocean 205 kilometer from Apia, Samoa, a significant M5.1 earthquake occurred in the evening of Tuesday January 20th, 2026. Another nearby country is American Samoa.
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Earthquake Summary
This earthquake hit under water in the South Pacific Ocean, 157 kilometers (97 mi) off the coast of Samoa, 205 kilometer southwest of Apia in Tuamasaga. The center of this earthquake had an intermediate depth of 103 km.
| Date and Time: | Jan 20, 2026 18:39 (Apia Time) - Jan 20, 2026 05:39 Universal Time. |
|---|---|
| Location: | 205 km SW of Apia, Tuamasaga, Samoa. Coordinates 15°2'0"S 173°12'55"W. |
| Map: |  Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps. |
| Magnitude: | MAG 5.1 Detected by 80 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.066 . |
| Depth: | 103 km (64 mi) An intermediate depth. |
| 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. |
Nearby towns and cities
Samoa and American Samoa are both located within 300km distance of the epicenter of the earthquake.
Located 205 kilometer (127 mi) southwest of the epicenter of this earthquake, Apia (Tuamasaga, Samoa) is the nearest significant population center.
Overview of nearby places
| Distance | Place |
|---|---|
| 205 km (127 mi) NE from epicenter |
Apia Tuamasaga, Samoa. |
| 283 km (176 mi) ENE from epicenter |
Pago Pago Eastern District, American Samoa. |
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 Tonga.We keep updating this article as more ground reports become available. You may report that you felt this earthquake here.
Places with most reports:
- Neiafu, Vavaʿu, Tonga: 1 person.
Aftershocks detected
After this earthquake struck, 1 smaller aftershock occurred. At a distance of 81 km (50 mi) southwest of this earthquake, an aftershock struck 3 hrs later. It measured a magnitude of 4.6
Overview of foreshocks and aftershocks
| Classification | Magnitude | When | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| Main Shock This Earthquake |
M 5.1 |
Jan 20, 2026 18:39 (Apia Time) | - |
| Aftershock | M 4.6 |
3 hrs later Jan 20, 2026 21:18 (Apia Time) | 81 km (50 mi) SW 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.
It's always adviced to be cautious of the risk of a larger shock following any significant earthquake, however this risk is fairly small. There is a roughly 94 percent change that no larger main shock will follow in the days following this 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 28th, 2025, when a 5.6 magnitude earthquake hit 178 km (110 mi) further west. An even stronger magnitude 7.6 earthquake struck on May 10th, 2023.
In total, 164 earthquakes with a magnitude of 5.1 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 22 days.
Tsunami very unlikely
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 5.1. Earthquakes of this strength are unlikely to trigger a tsunami. |
Not this earthquake. This earthquake occurred at a depth of 103 km (64 mi). Earthquakes this deep in the earth are unlikely to trigger a tsunami. |
Sources
Last updated 27/01/26 05:28 (). As more information on this earthquake becomes available this article will be updated. This article is automatically composed based on data originating from multiple sources.
- US Geographic Society (USGS): Earthquake us7000rqqz
- European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20260120_0000086
- Geonames.org: World Cities Database
- Google Maps: Static API
- Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database
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