International Disaster and Emergency Monitoring Center

Preliminary earthquake data and analysis

Earthquake Report
Base data
Event ID 1603962
Event time 2026-03-22 15:30:40 (UTC)
Local time 2026-03-22 02:30:40 - [It was night in the affected area.]
Last update 2026-03-22 16:04:47 (UTC)
Magnitude 6.3
Depth 10 km
Class Strong
Hypocenter Shallow depth
Mercalli scale 7
Possible effects People have difficulty standing. Drivers feel their cars shaking. Some furniture breaks. Loose bricks fall from buildings. Damage is slight to moderate in well-built buildings; considerable in poorly built buildings.
Data status reviewed
Data provider USGS

Location
Continent Pacific Ocean - West
Country Samoa
Administration area Atua
Nearest settlement Matautu
Distance 154 km
Course SSW
Surface type underwater quake
Tsunami region South Pacific
Water surface name South Pacific Ocean

Overview map
Green circle [feel the Eq] 100 km, Orange circle 200 km, Yellow circle 300 km

Population map
Green circle [feel the seism activity] 100 km, Orange circle 200 km, Yellow circle 300 km

Risk Analisys
Nearest nuclear power plants
There is no known nuclear power plant nearby.
Nearest marine ports
Apia (175,56 km), Apia (175,56 km), Pago Pago Harbor (213,63 km), Pago Pago Harbor (213,63 km)
Nearest airports
Faleolo International Airport (166,47 km), Faleolo International Airport (166,47 km), Kuini Lavenia Airport (171,32 km), Kuini Lavenia Airport (171,32 km), Maota Airport (172,21 km)
Nearest volcanoes
Curacoa volcano (145,47 km), West Mata volcano (151,30 km), Tafahi volcano (158,59 km), Upolu volcano (165,44 km), Niuatahi volcano (177,05 km)
Quick Analysis
According to the epicenter of the quake, this is an underwater quake. Based on the hypocenter, an underwater landslide is conceivable and could trigger a tsunami. Based on the data received, using the depth of the hypocenter, a potential tsunami will reach the nearest (Matautu, Atua, Samoa) settlement within 04:16. (PLEASE NOTE: THIS IS AN ESTIMATE ONLY!)