Reviewed by USGS109y ago
M7.8 earthquake in Fiji region
Wednesday, January 1, 1919, 03:00:34 UTC · 19.318°S, 178.080°W
A magnitude 7.8 earthquake struck in Fiji region on Wednesday, January 1, 1919, 03:00:34 UTC, at a depth of 485.0 km (deep). No earthquake of this size or larger appears within 300 km in the USGS catalog since 1900.
- Magnitude
- 7.8
- Major · mw
- Depth
- 485 km
- Deep
- Felt reports
- 0
- Did You Feel It?
- Est. shaking
- IV
- Light (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
7.6 megatons of TNT
That is about 502 times the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 15,849 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
161 km
from the nearest mapped plate boundary, between the Niuafo'ou and Australian plates. Earthquakes this far from a boundary happen on faults inside a plate, often less frequently but sometimes strongly.
Depth: deep
485 km
Deep earthquakes (over 300 km) happen deep inside subducting plates. They rarely cause damage, but can be felt faintly over very large distances.
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 200 km
USGS has not published any M2.5+ earthquake within 200 km in the 30 days after this event.
Regional history
Past M5+ earthquakes within 300 km
USGS lists 7 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 7.6178 km E of Levuka, FijiFebruary 22, 1909 · 158 km NW of this epicenter
- 7.4227 km E of Levuka, FijiAugust 21, 1910 · 174 km N of this epicenter
- 7.2Fiji regionMarch 31, 1907 · 181 km NE of this epicenter
- 7.2280 km WNW of Houma, TongaDecember 14, 1910 · 116 km S of this epicenter
- 7.2241 km WNW of Houma, TongaAugust 21, 1911 · 114 km SE of this epicenter
- 7.1217 km E of Levuka, FijiJuly 8, 1916 · 154 km N of this epicenter
- 7.0254 km WNW of Houma, TongaApril 20, 1910 · 118 km SE 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. The most severe:
- 1909M7.8
Fiji Islands
22 Feb 1909 · 176 km away
- 1919M7.8
Fiji Islands
1 Jan 1919 · 0 km away
tsunami
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.