Reviewed by USGSFiji70y ago
M6.4 earthquake 134 km NNW of Lautoka, Fiji
Wednesday, June 19, 1957, 08:01:37 UTC · 16.542°S, 176.867°E
A magnitude 6.4 earthquake struck 134 km NNW of Lautoka, Fiji on Wednesday, June 19, 1957, 08:01:37 UTC, at a depth of 32.5 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M6.6 on September 19, 1921.
- Magnitude
- 6.4
- Strong · mw
- Depth
- 33 km
- Shallow
- Felt reports
- 0
- Did You Feel It?
- Est. shaking
- V
- Moderate (ShakeMap)
- PAGER alert
- None
- Not issued
- Tsunami
- No flag
- USGS feed
Outlined circle: this earthquakeColoured lines: estimated shaking intensity (USGS ShakeMap)
In context
How big was it, and why here?
Energy released
67 kilotons of TNT
That is about 4 times the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 140 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
0 km
from the nearest mapped plate boundary, between the Balmoral Reef and Australian plates. Earthquakes cluster along boundaries like this one, where plates collide, pull apart or slide past each other.
Depth: shallow
33 km
Shallow earthquakes (under 70 km) produce the strongest surface shaking for their size, so they are the ones most likely to cause damage near the epicenter.
Did You Feel It?
Where it was felt
No “Did You Feel It?” reports have been published for this event yet. If you felt it, you can add your report on the USGS website.
I felt it — report to USGS ↗USGS PAGER estimate
Who was exposed to shaking
USGS publishes PAGER impact estimates for significant earthquakes, usually within an hour. No PAGER estimate is available for this event.
After the main event
Aftershocks within 100 km
USGS has not published any M2.5+ earthquake within 100 km in the 30 days after this event.
Regional history
Past M5+ earthquakes within 300 km
USGS lists 15 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 6.665 km WNW of Lautoka, FijiSeptember 19, 1921 · 96 km S of this epicenter
- 6.5122 km S of Nadi, FijiApril 25, 1921 · 272 km S of this epicenter
- 6.429 km SSW of Suva, FijiSeptember 14, 1953 · 260 km SE of this epicenter
- 6.4Fiji regionJune 5, 1930 · 259 km W of this epicenter
- 6.3112 km SSW of Suva, FijiFebruary 12, 1950 · 296 km S of this epicenter
- 6.3243 km WNW of Lautoka, FijiMarch 20, 1943 · 182 km W of this epicenter
- 6.295 km WSW of Nadi, FijiNovember 27, 1953 · 169 km S of this epicenter
- 6.2101 km S of Nadi, FijiApril 27, 1927 · 252 km S of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 4 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 48 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1840
Kadavu
1840 · 298 km away · intensity VIII
40 deathsLimited damage (under $1M)
- 1953M6.4
Fiji Islands
14 Sep 1953 · 241 km away
8 deathsLimited damage (under $1M)tsunami
- 1884
Macuata
Jan 1884 · 236 km away · intensity VII
Limited damage (under $1M)tsunami
- 1881
Fiji Islands
12 Jul 1881 · 236 km away
tsunami
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.