A shallow and significant Magnitude 5.1 earthquake struck in the South Pacific Ocean 159 kilometer from Lautoka, Fiji in the evening of Wednesday May 20th, 2026.
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Earthquake Summary
This earthquake hit under water in the South Pacific Ocean, 155 kilometers (96 mi) off the coast of Fiji, 159 kilometer west of Lautoka in Western. The center of this earthquake had a very shallow depth of 10 km. Shallow earthquakes usually have a larger impact than earthquakes deep in the earth.
| Date and Time: | May 20, 2026 21:40 (Fiji Time) - May 20, 2026 09:40 Universal Time. |
|---|---|
| Location: | 159 km west of Lautoka, Western, Fiji. Coordinates 17°18'43"S 175°59'11"E. |
| Map: |  Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps. |
| Magnitude: | MAG 5.1 Detected by 96 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.058 . |
| Depth: | 10 km (6 mi) A very shallow depth. |
| Tsunami Risk: | Low tsunami risk Earthquakes under MAG-6.5 do not usually cause tsunami's. Always stay cautious - More info here. |
Nearby towns and cities
This earthquake may have been felt in Fiji . Lautoka in Western, Fiji is the nearest significant place from the epicenter. The earthquake occurred 159 kilometer (99 mi) west of Lautoka.
Overview of nearby places
| Distance | Place |
|---|---|
| 159 km (99 mi) E from epicenter |
Lautoka Western, Fiji. |
| 161 km (100 mi) E from epicenter |
Nadi Western, Fiji. |
| 276 km (171 mi) E from epicenter |
Suva Central, Fiji. |
Risk of aftershocks?
We monitor for foreshocks or aftershocks that have a magnitude of 2.5+ and occur within 100km (62 mi) of the epicenter of this earthquake. So far no such earthquakes have been detected.
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 July 3rd, 2025, when a 5.3 magnitude earthquake hit 88 km (55 mi) further north. An even stronger magnitude 6.9 earthquake struck on January 3rd, 2017.
In total, 33 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 4 months.
Low tsunami risk
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 5.1. Earthquakes of this strength are unlikely to trigger a tsunami. |
This earthquake occurred at a depth of of 10 km (6 mi). Earthquakes this shallow could trigger a tsunami. |
Sources
Last updated 20/05/26 23:08 (). 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 us6000syxz
- European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20260520_0000149
- Geonames.org: World Cities Database
- Google Maps: Static API
- Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database
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