QuakeScout
Magnitude6.4

Reviewed by USGSFiji74y ago

M6.4 earthquake 29 km SSW of Suva, Fiji

Monday, September 14, 1953, 00:26:34 UTC · 18.397°S, 178.354°E

A magnitude 6.4 earthquake struck 29 km SSW of Suva, Fiji on Monday, September 14, 1953, 00:26:34 UTC, at a depth of 10.0 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M6.4 on March 8, 1932.

Magnitude
6.4
Strong · mw
Depth
10 km
Shallow
Felt reports
0
Did You Feel It?
Est. shaking
VII
Very strong (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

54 kilotons of TNT

That is about 4 times the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 114 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.

Tectonic setting

216 km

from the nearest mapped plate boundary, between the Australian and Conway Reef plates. Earthquakes this far from a boundary happen on faults inside a plate, often less frequently but sometimes strongly.

Depth: shallow

10 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 13 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:

  1. 7.6178 km E of Levuka, FijiFebruary 22, 1909 · 280 km E of this epicenter
  2. 6.7179 km ENE of Levuka, FijiJune 21, 1928 · 287 km NE of this epicenter
  3. 6.665 km WNW of Lautoka, FijiSeptember 19, 1921 · 192 km NW of this epicenter
  4. 6.5266 km S of Nadi, FijiMarch 15, 1920 · 238 km SW of this epicenter
  5. 6.5122 km S of Nadi, FijiApril 25, 1921 · 101 km SW of this epicenter
  6. 6.5209 km SSE of Suva, FijiJanuary 22, 1923 · 187 km S of this epicenter
  7. 6.5102 km ESE of Labasa, FijiOctober 3, 1919 · 263 km NE of this epicenter
  8. 6.448 km ESE of Levuka, FijiMarch 8, 1932 · 149 km E of this epicenter

History · NOAA

Deadliest earthquakes in this area

NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 7 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 48 recorded deaths. The most severe:

  1. 1840

    Kadavu

    1840 · 77 km away · intensity VIII

    40 deathsLimited damage (under $1M)

  2. 1953M6.4

    Fiji Islands

    14 Sep 1953 · 20 km away

    8 deathsLimited damage (under $1M)tsunami

  3. 1919M6.9

    Rabi,Tunuloa Mission,Suvasavu

    3 Oct 1919 · 283 km away · intensity VIII

    Moderate damage ($1–5M)

  4. 1932M6.4

    Koro,Mudu,Suvasavu

    8 Mar 1932 · 149 km away · intensity VII

    Moderate damage ($1–5M)

  5. 1884

    Macuata

    Jan 1884 · 275 km away · intensity VII

    Limited damage (under $1M)tsunami

  6. 1909M7.8

    Fiji Islands

    22 Feb 1909 · 283 km away

NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.

Nearby trackers

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