M5.5 earthquake - south of the Fiji Islands

What happened

A magnitude 5.5 earthquake struck south of the Fiji Islands on 16 Aug 2023, 16:00 UTC at a depth of 29 km.

Earthquakes of this size are classed as Moderate. Can damage poorly built structures close to the epicentre. This was a shallow earthquake, which tends to be felt more strongly at the surface.