MODERATE EARTHQUAKE
36 km E of Safotu, Samoa
A magnitude 5.1 earthquake struck 36 km E of Safotu, Samoa on 15 Oct 2026, 03:36 UTC. The hypocentre was 13.2 km below the surface — shallow by seismological convention. No felt reports have been received so far. The figures have been revised 2 times since the first report. 2 other earthquakes above our reporting threshold have been recorded within 250 km in the past 30 days.
- Depth
- 13.2 km
- Latitude
- 13.41°S
- Time
- 03:36 UTC
- Magnitude
- M5.1
shallow
172.07°W longitude
15 Oct 2026
mb
EPICENTRE
MAGNITUDE 5.1
Can damage poorly constructed buildings; well-built structures usually escape with little harm.
The scale is logarithmic: this released about 45 times the energy of a magnitude 4.0, roughly the energy of 674 tonnes of TNT.
13.2 KM DEEP
Shallow earthquakes release their energy close to the surface, so they are felt more strongly, and do more damage, than deeper earthquakes of the same magnitude.
NEARBY IN THE PAST 30 DAYS
2 earthquakes above our reporting threshold within 250 km of this one, the largest a magnitude 5.2.
OTHER RECENT EARTHQUAKES
19 Oct 2026, 08:51 UTC · 124.8 km deep
19 Oct 2026, 08:21 UTC · 10 km deep
19 Oct 2026, 08:12 UTC · 10 km deep
19 Oct 2026, 07:55 UTC · 10 km deep