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Earthquakes / EVENT RECORD

M 4.8 - 30 km E of Safotu, Samoa

USGS · Every measurement below belongs to the selected record.

Read the source-series history ↗
Captured 2026-10-16 23:47:43 UTC

Around the epicentre

Regional view · markers are locations, not affected areas

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● This earthquake ● Nearby recorded activityRegional map

Magnitude

M 4.8

Scale: mb

Depth

13.468 km

from location

Reported by people

Not published

Number of felt reports

USGS review

reviewed

Review does not imply final measurements

What the record tells us

USGS reports a magnitude 4.8 earthquake in 30 km E of Safotu, Samoa, at a depth of 13.468 km.

Detailed source data captured 2026-10-16 23:47:43 UTC.

Measurements & confidence

Event time (UTC)
2026-10-15 03:36:08.430 UTC
Source updated (UTC)
2026-10-15 04:02:36.040 UTC
Location
-13.433°, -172.117°
Stations used for location
31
Horizontal error
6.6 km
Depth error
4.596 km
Magnitude error
0.075

Errors are the source’s reported uncertainty estimates, not guaranteed bounds. A depth marked “operator assigned” was fixed during analysis.

Shaking & impact

Instrumental intensity
Not published
Felt-report intensity
Not published
PAGER impact alert
Not published

No published assessment does not mean no shaking or no impact. A magnitude value alone cannot establish damage or a tsunami warning.

Shaking map · not in this captured record
PAGER impact assessment · not in this captured record
Did You Feel It? reports · not in this captured record
Fault-motion solution · not in this captured record

Nearby seismic activity

Within 500 km · M2.5+ · seven days before the event through the latest query, up to seven days after

3 nearby records

Query window: 2026-10-08 03:36:08 to 2026-10-16 23:47:43 UTC. This is spatial proximity, not an identified aftershock sequence.

M5.2107 km NNE of Hihifo, Tonga2026-10-15 13:29:31 UTC
229 km away · 10 km deep ↗
M5.136 km E of Safotu, Samoa2026-10-15 03:36:29 UTC
6 km away · 13.211 km deep ↗
M4.561 km N of Hihifo, Tonga2026-10-10 08:38:50 UTC
283 km away · 79.424 km deep ↗
View the USGS catalogue query ↗

The record as it develops

This timeline begins when our journal started capturing details. It is not a complete USGS revision history.

  1. Captured 2026-10-15 04:13:51 UTC

    First detailed capture · M4.8 · 13.468 km deep · 2 nearby records

    Source updated 2026-10-15 04:02:36 UTC

  2. Captured 2026-10-15 05:13:55 UTC

    Updated capture · M4.8 · 13.468 km deep · 2 nearby records

    Source updated 2026-10-15 04:02:36 UTC

  3. Captured 2026-10-15 06:28:55 UTC

    Updated capture · M4.8 · 13.468 km deep · 2 nearby records

    Source updated 2026-10-15 04:02:36 UTC

  4. Captured 2026-10-15 07:43:50 UTC

    Updated capture · M4.8 · 13.468 km deep · 2 nearby records

    Source updated 2026-10-15 04:02:36 UTC

  5. Captured 2026-10-15 08:43:50 UTC

    Updated capture · M4.8 · 13.468 km deep · 2 nearby records

    Source updated 2026-10-15 04:02:36 UTC

  6. Captured 2026-10-15 09:58:50 UTC

    Updated capture · M4.8 · 13.468 km deep · 2 nearby records

    Source updated 2026-10-15 04:02:36 UTC

  7. Captured 2026-10-15 10:58:52 UTC

    Updated capture · M4.8 · 13.468 km deep · 2 nearby records

    Source updated 2026-10-15 04:02:36 UTC

  8. Captured 2026-10-15 12:13:52 UTC

    Updated capture · M4.8 · 13.468 km deep · 2 nearby records

    Source updated 2026-10-15 04:02:36 UTC

  9. Captured 2026-10-15 14:28:51 UTC

    Updated capture · M4.8 · 13.468 km deep · 3 nearby records

    Source updated 2026-10-15 04:02:36 UTC

  10. Captured 2026-10-15 15:43:53 UTC

    Updated capture · M4.8 · 13.468 km deep · 3 nearby records

    Source updated 2026-10-15 04:02:36 UTC

  11. Captured 2026-10-15 16:47:40 UTC

    Updated capture · M4.8 · 13.468 km deep · 3 nearby records

    Source updated 2026-10-15 04:02:36 UTC

  12. Captured 2026-10-15 17:47:40 UTC

    Updated capture · M4.8 · 13.468 km deep · 3 nearby records

    Source updated 2026-10-15 04:02:36 UTC

  13. Captured 2026-10-15 18:47:41 UTC

    Updated capture · M4.8 · 13.468 km deep · 3 nearby records

    Source updated 2026-10-15 04:02:36 UTC

  14. Captured 2026-10-15 19:47:43 UTC

    Updated capture · M4.8 · 13.468 km deep · 3 nearby records

    Source updated 2026-10-15 04:02:36 UTC

  15. Captured 2026-10-15 21:02:41 UTC

    Updated capture · M4.8 · 13.468 km deep · 3 nearby records

    Source updated 2026-10-15 04:02:36 UTC

  16. Captured 2026-10-15 22:17:41 UTC

    Updated capture · M4.8 · 13.468 km deep · 3 nearby records

    Source updated 2026-10-15 04:02:36 UTC

  17. Captured 2026-10-15 23:32:42 UTC

    Updated capture · M4.8 · 13.468 km deep · 3 nearby records

    Source updated 2026-10-15 04:02:36 UTC

  18. Captured 2026-10-16 00:47:40 UTC

    Updated capture · M4.8 · 13.468 km deep · 3 nearby records

    Source updated 2026-10-15 04:02:36 UTC

  19. Captured 2026-10-16 01:47:41 UTC

    Updated capture · M4.8 · 13.468 km deep · 3 nearby records

    Source updated 2026-10-15 04:02:36 UTC

  20. Captured 2026-10-16 03:02:48 UTC

    Updated capture · M4.8 · 13.468 km deep · 3 nearby records

    Source updated 2026-10-15 04:02:36 UTC

  21. Captured 2026-10-16 04:17:43 UTC

    Updated capture · M4.8 · 13.468 km deep · 3 nearby records

    Source updated 2026-10-15 04:02:36 UTC

  22. Captured 2026-10-16 05:32:41 UTC

    Updated capture · M4.8 · 13.468 km deep · 3 nearby records

    Source updated 2026-10-15 04:02:36 UTC

  23. Captured 2026-10-16 06:32:43 UTC

    Updated capture · M4.8 · 13.468 km deep · 3 nearby records

    Source updated 2026-10-15 04:02:36 UTC

  24. Captured 2026-10-16 07:47:42 UTC

    Updated capture · M4.8 · 13.468 km deep · 3 nearby records

    Source updated 2026-10-15 04:02:36 UTC

  25. Captured 2026-10-16 09:02:49 UTC

    Updated capture · M4.8 · 13.468 km deep · 3 nearby records

    Source updated 2026-10-15 04:02:36 UTC

  26. Captured 2026-10-16 10:17:41 UTC

    Updated capture · M4.8 · 13.468 km deep · 3 nearby records

    Source updated 2026-10-15 04:02:36 UTC

  27. Captured 2026-10-16 11:32:41 UTC

    Updated capture · M4.8 · 13.468 km deep · 3 nearby records

    Source updated 2026-10-15 04:02:36 UTC

  28. Captured 2026-10-16 12:32:45 UTC

    Updated capture · M4.8 · 13.468 km deep · 3 nearby records

    Source updated 2026-10-15 04:02:36 UTC

  29. Captured 2026-10-16 13:47:41 UTC

    Updated capture · M4.8 · 13.468 km deep · 3 nearby records

    Source updated 2026-10-15 04:02:36 UTC

  30. Captured 2026-10-16 14:47:42 UTC

    Updated capture · M4.8 · 13.468 km deep · 3 nearby records

    Source updated 2026-10-15 04:02:36 UTC

  31. Captured 2026-10-16 15:47:42 UTC

    Updated capture · M4.8 · 13.468 km deep · 3 nearby records

    Source updated 2026-10-15 04:02:36 UTC

  32. Captured 2026-10-16 17:02:43 UTC

    Updated capture · M4.8 · 13.468 km deep · 3 nearby records

    Source updated 2026-10-15 04:02:36 UTC

  33. Captured 2026-10-16 18:02:43 UTC

    Updated capture · M4.8 · 13.468 km deep · 3 nearby records

    Source updated 2026-10-15 04:02:36 UTC

  34. Captured 2026-10-16 19:02:44 UTC

    Updated capture · M4.8 · 13.468 km deep · 3 nearby records

    Source updated 2026-10-15 04:02:36 UTC

  35. Captured 2026-10-16 20:17:42 UTC

    Updated capture · M4.8 · 13.468 km deep · 3 nearby records

    Source updated 2026-10-15 04:02:36 UTC

  36. Captured 2026-10-16 21:32:42 UTC

    Updated capture · M4.8 · 13.468 km deep · 3 nearby records

    Source updated 2026-10-15 04:02:36 UTC

  37. Captured 2026-10-16 22:32:45 UTC

    Updated capture · M4.8 · 13.468 km deep · 3 nearby records

    Source updated 2026-10-15 04:02:36 UTC

  38. Captured 2026-10-16 23:47:43 UTC

    Updated capture · M4.8 · 13.468 km deep · 3 nearby records

    Source updated 2026-10-15 04:02:36 UTC

Magnitude is not shaking

Magnitude describes the earthquake’s size. The shaking experienced at a place depends on distance, depth, local ground conditions and the rupture.

Depth needs context

A reported depth describes the location of the earthquake underground. Some solutions use an assigned depth; uncertainty and review status matter.

Nearby does not mean aftershock

Our regional search finds events by distance and time. Establishing an aftershock sequence requires seismological assessment.

Read the original USGS record ↗

This is a source-linked archive. Source measurements and assessments can change. An archived bulletin is not evidence that a warning is currently active.

In the daily journal

15 October 2026 ↗

SOURCE ID usgs:us6000u2eh