M5.1 Earthquake 36 km E of Safotu, Samoa — October 15, 2026
2026-10-15 03:36:29 UTC (1 hour ago) · approx. 4:36 PM UTC-11 local
Felt by 2 people across nearby locations.
On October 15, 2026 at 03:36 UTC, a magnitude 5.1 shallow crustal earthquake struck 36 km E of Safotu, Samoa, at a depth of 13.2 km and coordinates -13.4090°, -172.0686°. This earthquake was detected by 41 seismic stations with good location accuracy and was assigned a USGS significance rating of 401, placing it among routine seismic activity.
Physical scale: An earthquake of magnitude 5.1 releases seismic energy equivalent to roughly 674 metric tons of TNT. Empirical fault-scaling laws (Wells & Coppersmith, 1994) estimate the subsurface rupture length at approximately 2.0 km — a useful intuition for the size of the slip patch on the fault.
Did You Feel It? — community-reported shaking
Aggregated felt-report intensity from 2 citizen responses to the USGS Did You Feel It? system. Each colored zone represents the average MMI from reports in that area.
Source: U.S. Geological Survey Did You Feel It?. View on USGS · submit your own report
Earthquake Details
-172.0686°E
Technical Information
Nearby Earthquakes (Last 7 Days)
Common Questions
How strong was the magnitude 5.1 earthquake near Safotu, Samoa?
The magnitude 5.1 earthquake that struck 36 km E of Safotu, Samoa on October 15, 2026 at 03:36 UTC had a depth of 13.2 km. For context, this was a moderate earthquake that could be widely felt.
Where did the earthquake occur?
The earthquake epicenter was located at -13.4090°, -172.0686°, which is 36 km E of Safotu, Samoa.
Were there aftershocks?
Aftershock activity is monitored continuously by the USGS. Aftershock sequences from magnitude 5.1 earthquakes can continue for days to weeks and gradually diminish over time.
Actions
Location
Authoritative source: USGS event page (event ID: us6000u2ec). All scientific values on this page are sourced verbatim from the USGS feed.
Cite this page: EarthquakeTracker.org. (2026, October 15, 2026). M5.1 Earthquake 36 km E of Safotu, Samoa — October 15, 2026. Retrieved October 15, 2026 from https://www.earthquaketracker.org/earthquakes/event/us6000u2ec/