Reviewed by USGSFiji77y ago
M6.3 earthquake 112 km SSW of Suva, Fiji
Sunday, February 12, 1950, 22:14:58 UTC · 19.017°S, 177.906°E
A magnitude 6.3 earthquake struck 112 km SSW of Suva, Fiji on Sunday, February 12, 1950, 22:14:58 UTC, at a depth of 20.0 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M6.4 on March 8, 1932.
- Magnitude
- 6.3
- Strong · mw
- Depth
- 20 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
51 kilotons of TNT
That is about 3 times the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 106 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
184 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
20 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 9 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 · 210 km NW of this epicenter
- 6.5266 km S of Nadi, FijiMarch 15, 1920 · 154 km SW of this epicenter
- 6.5122 km S of Nadi, FijiApril 25, 1921 · 39 km W of this epicenter
- 6.5209 km SSE of Suva, FijiJanuary 22, 1923 · 155 km SE of this epicenter
- 6.448 km ESE of Levuka, FijiMarch 8, 1932 · 215 km NE of this epicenter
- 6.2101 km S of Nadi, FijiApril 27, 1927 · 48 km NW of this epicenter
- 6.1141 km SSW of Suva, FijiNovember 17, 1935 · 42 km S of this epicenter
- 6.1173 km SW of Nadi, FijiAugust 14, 1934 · 177 km W of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 2 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 40 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1840
Kadavu
1840 · 10 km away · intensity VIII
40 deathsLimited damage (under $1M)
- 1932M6.4
Koro,Mudu,Suvasavu
8 Mar 1932 · 215 km away · intensity VII
Moderate damage ($1–5M)
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.