Reviewed by USGSTonga8y ago
M4.4 earthquake 292 km WNW of Haveluloto, Tonga
Friday, October 12, 2018, 04:13:59 UTC · 19.974°S, 177.725°W
A magnitude 4.4 earthquake struck 292 km WNW of Haveluloto, Tonga on Friday, October 12, 2018, 04:13:59 UTC, at a depth of 613.0 km (deep).
- Magnitude
- 4.4
- Light · mb
- Depth
- 613 km
- Deep
- Felt reports
- 0
- Did You Feel It?
- Est. shaking
- —
- No ShakeMap
- PAGER alert
- None
- Not issued
- Tsunami
- No flag
- USGS feed
Outlined circle: this earthquakeDashed circle: 50 km aftershock search area
In context
How big was it, and why here?
Energy released
60 tons of TNT
That is about 1/251 of the Hiroshima bomb. A magnitude 5.0 releases about 8 times more energy.
Tectonic setting
148 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
613 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 50 km
USGS lists 12 M2.5+ earthquakes within 50 km in the following 30 days; the largest was M4.6 on October 28, 2018. Most nearby activity right after a large earthquake is aftershocks, which usually become less frequent over days and weeks.
- 4.5Fiji region7y ago · 46 km W of this epicenter
- 4.1295 km WNW of Haveluloto, Tonga8y ago · 14 km N of this epicenter
- 4.5275 km WNW of Haveluloto, Tonga8y ago · 49 km S of this epicenter
- 4.6281 km WNW of Haveluloto, Tonga8y ago · 35 km S of this epicenter
- 4.5298 km WNW of Haveluloto, Tonga8y ago · 7 km W of this epicenter
- 4.3Fiji region8y ago · 32 km SW of this epicenter
- 4.5Fiji region8y ago · 41 km N of this epicenter
- 4.3Fiji region8y ago · 34 km W of this epicenter
Regional history
Past M5+ earthquakes within 300 km
USGS lists 1,927 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 8.22018 Fiji EarthquakeAugust 19, 2018 · 212 km N of this epicenter
- 8.0TongaJanuary 4, 1903 · 285 km E of this epicenter
- 7.8159 km W of Pangai, TongaDecember 14, 1950 · 196 km E of this epicenter
- 7.8Fiji regionJanuary 1, 1919 · 82 km NW of this epicenter
- 7.8192 km WSW of Haveluloto, TongaOctober 14, 1997 · 256 km SE of this epicenter
- 7.7Fiji regionAugust 19, 2002 · 267 km SW of this epicenter
- 7.6178 km E of Levuka, FijiFebruary 22, 1909 · 239 km NW of this epicenter
- 7.6240 km E of Levuka, FijiMarch 9, 1994 · 227 km N of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 12 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700. The most severe:
- 2018M8.2
Fiji Islands
19 Aug 2018 · 212 km away · intensity V
tsunami
- 1937M8.1
Fiji Islands
16 Apr 1937 · 186 km away
- 1903M8.0
Tonga Islands
4 Jan 1903 · 285 km away
- 1909M7.8
Fiji Islands
22 Feb 1909 · 257 km away
- 1919M7.8
Fiji Islands
1 Jan 1919 · 82 km away
tsunami
- 1950M7.7
Tonga Islands
14 Dec 1950 · 188 km away · intensity VI
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.