M4.5 Earthquake near south of the Fiji Islands — 10 April 2026
A light earthquake of magnitude 4.5 was recorded near south of the Fiji Islands on , at a focal depth of 538.2 km.
Time (UTC): 2026-04-10 19:31:24
Time (your timezone): —
Magnitude: 4.5 (light)
Focal depth: 538.2 km (deep)
Epicentre: -23.4022, -179.8690
Location: south of the Fiji Islands
USGS link to NOAA tsunami information: Not linked
Review status: Reviewed
Source: USGS event page
How strong was this earthquake?
Light earthquakes are widely felt near the epicentre and can rattle windows, dishes and hanging objects. Damage is uncommon and usually limited to cracked plaster or fallen loose items.
A magnitude 4.5 earthquake radiates roughly 85 tons of TNT equivalent in seismic energy.
The USGS assigns this earthquake a significance score of 312, which is below the USGS threshold of more than 600 for its significant-earthquake list. The ranking combines magnitude with available Did You Feel It responses and PAGER alert level; it is not a direct measurement of damage.
What the magnitude scale actually measures →
When it happened locally
That is about 07:31 local solar time at the epicentre, around dawn.
Where was the epicentre?
The epicentre was located at -23.4022, -179.8690. The closest other recorded event was a magnitude 4.5 earthquake 5 km west-southwest of here on 30 August 2026.
The nearest other settlement in our records is Houma (250 km northeast).
Why the 538 km depth matters
At 538 km this was a deep-focus earthquake, occurring well inside the subducting slab rather than in the crust. Deep events are rarely damaging even at large magnitudes, though they can be felt over very long distances.
This catalogue does not ingest eyewitness responses, so it cannot confirm where this earthquake was felt. Based on magnitude alone, an event this size is often felt across the surrounding area. Its deep focus normally weakens surface shaking while spreading perceptible motion over a broad area.
Read more on how focal depth changes what you feel →
What does the tsunami information flag mean?
The USGS record does not carry a link to NOAA tsunami information. That field is not an all-clear and does not state whether a tsunami occurred. In this case, a damaging tsunami would be less likely because at M4.5 it falls below the magnitude 6.5 threshold that generally applies before a submarine earthquake displaces enough water to generate a damaging tsunami; its 538 km focal depth is too great to deform the sea floor significantly. For an active coastal alert, use tsunami.gov or your local warning authority.
How earthquakes generate tsunamis, and what the alert levels mean →
Aftershocks and local seismic history
1 further earthquakes have been recorded within about 150 km of the epicentre in the seven days after this event, the largest of them magnitude 4.5.
139 earthquakes of magnitude 4 or above have been logged within roughly 200 km of this epicentre in our catalogue. The strongest was a magnitude 6.3 event near Fiji region on 01 March 2026. This M4.5 event released about 501 times less energy than that event.
37 earthquakes have been recorded within 100 km of this epicentre in the past year, 2 of them in the past 30 days.
How long aftershock sequences last, and how large they get →
Where this event sits in the record
This earthquake is part of the April 2026 worldwide record. Browse the full monthly archive to compare periods.
Nearest recorded earthquakes to this epicentre
- M4.5 earthquake near south of the Fiji Islands — (5 km WSW)
- M5.0 earthquake near south of the Fiji Islands — (6 km SSE)
- M4.3 earthquake near south of the Fiji Islands — (10 km ESE)
- M4.4 earthquake near south of the Fiji Islands — (11 km WSW)
- M4.5 earthquake near south of the Fiji Islands — (11 km SSW)
- M5.1 earthquake near south of the Fiji Islands — (12 km WSW)
- M4.5 earthquake near south of the Fiji Islands — (12 km NNE)
- M4.5 earthquake near south of the Fiji Islands — (24 km SSE)
- M4.7 earthquake near south of the Fiji Islands — (25 km SSE)
- M4.5 earthquake near south of the Fiji Islands — (28 km SSE)
Other magnitude 4 earthquakes worldwide
- M4.4 earthquake near Merizo Village, Guam —
- M4.4 earthquake near Noda, Japan —
- M4.7 earthquake near Sipí, Colombia —
- M4.3 earthquake near Adak, United States —
- M4.4 earthquake near Longyearbyen, Norway —
- M4.5 earthquake near False Pass, United States —
- M4.3 earthquake near Gorontalo, Indonesia —
- M4.4 earthquake near Palu, Indonesia —
Questions about this earthquake
How strong was the earthquake near south of the Fiji Islands?
It measured magnitude 4.5 — a light earthquake. A magnitude 4.5 earthquake radiates roughly 85 tons of TNT equivalent in seismic energy.
How deep was the earthquake near south of the Fiji Islands?
The focus was 538 km below the surface, which counts as deep.
Was the south of the Fiji Islands earthquake felt at the surface?
At magnitude 4.5 and a focal depth of 538 km, the depth spreads the energy out, so shaking is weaker overhead but reaches further.
When did the earthquake near south of the Fiji Islands happen?
10 April 2026 at 19:31 UTC.
Was there a tsunami?
No. The USGS record carries no tsunami-information link for this event.
Have there been aftershocks?
1 further earthquakes have been recorded within about 150 km of the epicentre in the seven days after this event, the largest of them magnitude 4.5.
How often do earthquakes happen near south of the Fiji Islands?
139 earthquakes of magnitude 4 or above have been logged within roughly 200 km of this epicentre in our catalogue. The strongest was a magnitude 6.3 event near Fiji region on 01 March 2026. This M4.5 event released about 501 times less energy than that event.