M6.8 earthquake - 281 km WNW of Lautoka, Fiji

What happened

A magnitude 6.8 earthquake struck 281 km WNW of Lautoka, Fiji on 1 Jan 1972, 22:05 UTC at a depth of 10 km.

Earthquakes of this size are classed as Strong. Can cause damage in populated areas up to tens of kilometres away. This was a shallow earthquake, which tends to be felt more strongly at the surface.

The nearest town in our records is Lautoka, about 282 km away in Western, Fiji.