Reviewed by USGS8y ago
M4.5 earthquake in Fiji region
Monday, November 5, 2018, 18:56:29 UTC · 17.782°S, 177.826°W
A magnitude 4.5 earthquake struck in Fiji region on Monday, November 5, 2018, 18:56:29 UTC, at a depth of 599.5 km (deep). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M4.5 on November 4, 2018.
- Magnitude
- 4.5
- Light · mb
- Depth
- 600 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
85 tons of TNT
That is about 1/178 of the Hiroshima bomb. A magnitude 5.0 releases about 6 times more energy.
Tectonic setting
134 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
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 14 M2.5+ earthquakes within 50 km in the following 30 days; the largest was M4.9 on November 10, 2018. Most nearby activity right after a large earthquake is aftershocks, which usually become less frequent over days and weeks.
- 4.1261 km E of Levuka, Fiji7y ago · 45 km SW of this epicenter
- 4.3289 km E of Levuka, Fiji7y ago · 36 km S of this epicenter
- 4.3275 km E of Levuka, Fiji7y ago · 42 km SW of this epicenter
- 4.4267 km E of Levuka, Fiji7y ago · 37 km W of this epicenter
- 4.2292 km E of Levuka, Fiji7y ago · 12 km W of this epicenter
- 4.4278 km E of Levuka, Fiji7y ago · 26 km W of this epicenter
- 4.4291 km E of Levuka, Fiji7y ago · 20 km SW of this epicenter
- 4.1280 km E of Levuka, Fiji7y ago · 26 km SW of this epicenter
Regional history
Past M5+ earthquakes within 300 km
USGS lists 1,465 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 · 50 km SW of this epicenter
- 7.8159 km W of Pangai, TongaDecember 14, 1950 · 297 km SE of this epicenter
- 7.8Fiji regionJanuary 1, 1919 · 173 km S of this epicenter
- 7.6178 km E of Levuka, FijiFebruary 22, 1909 · 132 km W of this epicenter
- 7.6144 km SSW of Leava, Wallis and FutunaMay 23, 1956 · 281 km N of this epicenter
- 7.6240 km E of Levuka, FijiMarch 9, 1994 · 68 km SW of this epicenter
- 7.5262 km WNW of Haveluloto, TongaMay 21, 1962 · 259 km S of this epicenter
- 7.4227 km E of Levuka, FijiAugust 21, 1910 · 76 km W of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 9 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 · 277 km away · intensity VIII
Moderate damage ($1–5M)
- 1979M6.9
Fiji Islands
16 Nov 1979 · 256 km away
Moderate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 1932M6.4
Koro,Mudu,Suvasavu
8 Mar 1932 · 260 km away · intensity VII
Moderate damage ($1–5M)
- 2018M8.2
Fiji Islands
19 Aug 2018 · 50 km away · intensity V
tsunami
- 1909M7.8
Fiji Islands
22 Feb 1909 · 127 km away
- 1919M7.8
Fiji Islands
1 Jan 1919 · 173 km away
tsunami
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.