
Earthquakes in Samoa
In Samoa, there are very strong earthquakes with far-reaching consequences. Earthquakes with a magnitude of over 8.0 destroy numerous houses within a radius of several hundred kilometers and are causing great damage and devastation. Due to the special tectonic situation of the country, there are more earthquakes than average.Other natural hazards in Samoa:
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Most recent events
This list includes the strongest earthquakes recorded in or around Samoa by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) in the past 14 days. Whether an event is listed here depends largely on its magnitude, but also on its distance from inhabited areas. All data refer to the local time. This page is updated daily at 11 am UTC.
- Jan. 20, 4:11 pmMagnitude 4.9: 117 km east-northeast of Hihifo, Tonga at a depth of ten km.
- Jan. 17, 10:38 pmMagnitude 4.9: Samoa Islands at a depth of ten km.
Earthquakes in Samoa since 1950

Date | Region | Depth | Magnitude | Deaths | Total damage |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
09/29/2009 | Samoa Islands | 10 km | 8.1 | 0 | |
09/28/2006 | Samoa Islands | 9 km | 6.9 | 0 | |
04/07/1995 | Apia; American Samoa (Pago Pago; Niue) | 56 km | 7.4 | 0 | |
09/01/1981 | Apia; American Samoa (Pago Pago) | 31 km | 7.7 | 0 | |
04/02/1977 | Apia | 22 km | 7.6 | 0 | |
12/26/1975 | Samoa Islands | 38 km | 7.8 | 0 | |
04/14/1957 | Samoa Islands | 7.5 | 0 |
These statistics are based on datas from the National Geophysical Data Center / World Data Service (NGDC/WDS): Significant Earthquake Database. doi:10.7289/V5TD9V7K. Data have been summarized and translated.