Reviewed by USGS8y ago
M8.2 earthquake 2018 Fiji Earthquake
Sunday, August 19, 2018, 00:19:40 UTC · 18.113°S, 178.153°W
A magnitude 8.2 earthquake struck 2018 Fiji Earthquake on Sunday, August 19, 2018, 00:19:40 UTC, at a depth of 600.0 km (deep). USGS received 36 “Did You Feel It?” reports, with a maximum reported intensity of V (moderate). The USGS PAGER alert is green: low likelihood of casualties and damage. No earthquake of this size or larger appears within 300 km in the USGS catalog since 1900.
Tsunami flagUSGS sets this flag for large events in oceanic regions so tsunami warning centers review them. It does not by itself mean a tsunami occurred. Check tsunami.gov and local authorities for official messages.
- Magnitude
- 8.2
- Great · mww
- Depth
- 600 km
- Deep
- Felt reports
- 36
- Max intensity V
- Est. shaking
- IV
- Light (ShakeMap)
- PAGER alert
- Green
- Impact estimate
- Tsunami
- Flag
- Check tsunami.gov
Outlined circle: this earthquakeDashed circle: 400 km aftershock search areaColoured lines: estimated shaking intensity (USGS ShakeMap)
In context
How big was it, and why here?
Energy released
30 megatons of TNT
That is about 1,998 times the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 63,096 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
180 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
600 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
Reports sent by people to USGS, grouped by place (most reports first). Intensity uses the Modified Mercalli scale (I–X): what people felt, not the magnitude.
| Place | Intensity | Reports | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nadi, Western, Fiji Islands | V · Moderate | 4 | 762 km |
| Suva, Central, Fiji Islands | V · Moderate | 3 | 700 km |
| Nausori, Central, Fiji Islands | V · Moderate | 2 | 695 km |
| Honiara, Guadalcanal, Solomon Islands | II · Weak | 2 | 2628 km |
| Levuka, Eastern, Fiji Islands | V · Moderate | 1 | 682 km |
| Haveloloto, Tongatapu, Tonga | IV · Light | 1 | 753 km |
| Vaiaku, Funafuti, Tuvalu | III · Weak | 1 | 1252 km |
| Vila, Shefa, Vanuatu | III · Weak | 1 | 1555 km |
| Nouméa, Sud, New Caledonia | III · Weak | 1 | 1779 km |
| Tofoa-Koloua, Tongatapu, Tonga | III · Weak | 1 | 754 km |
| Talimatau, North West Upolu, Samoa | III · Weak | 1 | 1023 km |
| Siupapa, Rest of Upolu, Samoa | II · Weak | 1 | 1039 km |
USGS PAGER estimate
Who was exposed to shaking
Modelled from the ShakeMap and population data. Alert level green: low likelihood of casualties and damage.
- IV · Light shaking
- 966,000 people
- III · Weak shaking
- 66,000 people
After the main event
Aftershocks within 400 km
USGS lists 431 M2.5+ earthquakes within 400 km in the following 30 days; the largest was M7.9 on September 6, 2018. Most nearby activity right after a large earthquake is aftershocks, which usually become less frequent over days and weeks.
- 4.4234 km E of Levuka, Fiji8y ago · 39 km NW of this epicenter
- 4.4276 km E of Levuka, Fiji8y ago · 49 km N of this epicenter
- 4.0180 km ENE of Levuka, Fiji8y ago · 102 km NW of this epicenter
- 4.2277 km E of Levuka, Fiji8y ago · 23 km S of this epicenter
- 4.5Fiji region8y ago · 162 km S of this epicenter
- 4.2Fiji region8y ago · 54 km E of this epicenter
- 5.4288 km E of Levuka, Fiji8y ago · 21 km E of this epicenter
- 4.5233 km E of Levuka, Fiji8y ago · 36 km W of this epicenter
Regional history
Past M5+ earthquakes within 300 km
USGS lists 1,448 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 7.8159 km W of Pangai, TongaDecember 14, 1950 · 298 km SE of this epicenter
- 7.8Fiji regionJanuary 1, 1919 · 134 km S of this epicenter
- 7.6178 km E of Levuka, FijiFebruary 22, 1909 · 90 km W of this epicenter
- 7.6240 km E of Levuka, FijiMarch 9, 1994 · 29 km W of this epicenter
- 7.5262 km WNW of Haveluloto, TongaMay 21, 1962 · 231 km S of this epicenter
- 7.4227 km E of Levuka, FijiAugust 21, 1910 · 53 km NW of this epicenter
- 7.4Fiji regionSeptember 28, 1957 · 271 km S of this epicenter
- 7.4Fiji regionAugust 5, 1996 · 287 km S of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 10 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700. The most severe:
- 1919M6.9
Rabi,Tunuloa Mission,Suvasavu
3 Oct 1919 · 273 km away · intensity VIII
Moderate damage ($1–5M)
- 1979M6.9
Fiji Islands
16 Nov 1979 · 246 km away
Moderate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 1932M6.4
Koro,Mudu,Suvasavu
8 Mar 1932 · 221 km away · intensity VII
Moderate damage ($1–5M)
- 2018M8.2
Fiji Islands
19 Aug 2018 · 0 km away · intensity V
tsunami
- 2018M7.9
Fiji Islands
6 Sep 2018 · 267 km away · intensity VII
- 1909M7.8
Fiji Islands
22 Feb 1909 · 90 km away
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.