On Monday Morning a Strong M6.1 Earthquake struck in the South Pacific Ocean 240km from Apia (Samoa).

Written by Earthquakelist.org on April 19th, 2026. Last updated May 10th, 2026.

In the South Pacific Ocean 240 kilometer from Apia, Samoa, a strong M6.1 earthquake occurred in the early morning of Monday April 20th, 2026. Roughly 200 thousand people may have felt this earthquake.

Earthquake Summary

This earthquake hit under water in the South Pacific Ocean, 190 kilometers (118 mi) off the coast of Samoa, 240 kilometer southwest of Apia in Tuamasaga. The center of this earthquake had a quite shallow depth of 36 km. Shallow earthquakes usually have a larger impact than earthquakes deep in the earth.

Date and Time:	Apr 20, 2026 06:34 (Apia Time) - Apr 19, 2026 17:34 Universal Time.
Location:	240 km SW of Apia, Tuamasaga, Samoa. Coordinates 15°12'56"S 173°29'4"W.
Map:	Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps.
Magnitude:	MAG 6.1 Detected by 5 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.061 .
Depth:	36 km (22 mi) A quite shallow depth.
Max. Intensity:	V Moderate On the Modified Mercalli Scale.
Tsunami Risk:	Low tsunami risk Earthquakes under MAG-6.5 do not usually 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 90% likelyhood of between 0 and 1 fatalities.

The USGS classifies the economic impact of this earthquake at level GREEN (low). They expect an 90% likelyhood of between 0 and 1 million US Dollars in economic damage and impact.

Roughly 200 thousand people exposed to shaking

An estimated 200 thousand have been exposed to shaking (An MMI or Modified Mercalli Intensity level II or higher) as a result of this earthquake according scientific estimates published by the USGS.

An estimated 195,300 people were exposed to level III. At this level, weak shaking and probably no damage can be expected.

People in 2 countries have been exposed to shaking. Roughly 200 thousand people were exposed to shaking in Samoa , with level III (weak shaking, probably no damage) as the highest recorded.

People	MMI Level	Shaking	Damage
0	I	Not noticable	None
0	II	Very weak	None
195,300	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 Samoa . Apia in Tuamasaga, Samoa is the nearest significant place from the epicenter. The earthquake occurred 240 kilometer (149 mi) southwest of Apia. The intensity of shaking and damage in Apia is estimated to be around level III on the Modified Mercalli Intensity scale (weak shaking, probably no damage).

Overview of nearby places

Cities and Towns around the epicenter of this earthquake.
Distance	Place	Intensity (MMI)
240 km (149 mi) NE from epicenter	Apia Tuamasaga, Samoa.	III Weak
317 km (197 mi) E from epicenter	Pago Pago Eastern District, American Samoa.
361 km (224 mi) NW from epicenter	Mata-Utu Uvea, Wallis and Futuna.

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 IV.

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 9 people

People that feel an earthquake may report their experience to the US Geographic Survey. Currently, 9 people have reported shaking in 6 places, all within Samoa.We keep updating this article as more ground reports become available. You may report that you felt this earthquake here.

Places with most reports:

Niusuatia, Rest of Upolu, Samoa: 3 people.
Tulaele, North West Upolu, Samoa: 2 people.
Talimatau, North West Upolu, Samoa: 1 person.
Apia, Apia Urban Area, Samoa: 1 person.
Vavau, Rest of Upolu, Samoa: 1 person.
Sataoa Uta, Rest of Upolu, Samoa: 1 person.

Aftershocks detected

In the days before this main shock, 6 smaller foreshocks were detected. Nearby this earthquake a foreshock struck 1 day earlier. It measured a magnitude of 4.8

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 4.6	1 day earlier Apr 18, 2026 22:28 (Apia Time)	52 km (32 mi) E from Main Shock.
Foreshock	M 4.8	1 day earlier Apr 18, 2026 22:32 (Apia Time)	24 km (15 mi) E from Main Shock.
Foreshock	M 4.5	1 day earlier Apr 18, 2026 23:25 (Apia Time)	87 km (54 mi) S from Main Shock.
Foreshock	M 4.6	1 day earlier Apr 19, 2026 01:05 (Apia Time)	28 km (17 mi) NE from Main Shock.
Foreshock	M 4.4	15 hrs earlier Apr 19, 2026 15:42 (Apia Time)	30 km (18 mi) SW from Main Shock.
Foreshock	M 4.3	9 hrs earlier Apr 19, 2026 21:51 (Apia Time)	48 km (30 mi) E from Main Shock.
Main Shock This Earthquake	M 6.1	Apr 20, 2026 06:34 (Apia Time)	-

More earthquakes coming?

The risk of aftershocks decreases rapidly over time. Usually, aftershocks are at least one order of magnitude lower than a main shock.

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 are common in the region

Earthquakes of this strength occur quite regularly in the region. This is the strongest earthquake to hit since March 22nd, 2026, when a 6.3 magnitude earthquake hit 90 km (56 mi) further east. An even stronger magnitude 7.6 earthquake struck on May 10th, 2023.

In total, 9 earthquakes with a magnitude of 6.1 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 year.

Low tsunami risk

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.

Based on early data it appears this earthquake was not strong enough (lower than MAG-6.5) to be likely to cause destructive tsunami's. However this earthquake appeared to have hit at a shallow depth under sea, so 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 6.1. Earthquakes of this strength are unlikely to trigger a tsunami.	This earthquake occurred at a depth of of 36 km (22 mi). Earthquakes this shallow could trigger a tsunami.

Sources

Last updated 10/05/26 19:28 (). 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.