Reviewed by USGSTonga8y ago
M4.5 earthquake 282 km WNW of Haveluloto, Tonga
Wednesday, November 7, 2018, 15:11:48 UTC · 20.594°S, 177.863°W
A magnitude 4.5 earthquake struck 282 km WNW of Haveluloto, Tonga on Wednesday, November 7, 2018, 15:11:48 UTC, at a depth of 540.9 km (deep). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M4.5 on November 4, 2018.
- Magnitude
- 4.5
- Light · mb
- Depth
- 541 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
170 km
from the nearest mapped plate boundary, between the Tonga and Australian plates. Earthquakes this far from a boundary happen on faults inside a plate, often less frequently but sometimes strongly.
Depth: deep
541 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 11 M2.5+ earthquakes within 50 km in the following 30 days; the largest was M4.8 on December 5, 2018. Most nearby activity right after a large earthquake is aftershocks, which usually become less frequent over days and weeks.
- 4.3287 km WNW of Haveluloto, Tonga7y ago · 30 km N of this epicenter
- 4.6274 km WNW of Haveluloto, Tonga7y ago · 34 km NE of this epicenter
- 4.8Fiji region7y ago · 23 km NW of this epicenter
- 3.9Fiji region7y ago · 34 km W of this epicenter
- 4.4Fiji region7y ago · 30 km NW of this epicenter
- 4.0264 km W of Haveluloto, Tonga7y ago · 25 km SE of this epicenter
- 4.4254 km WNW of Haveluloto, Tonga7y ago · 33 km E of this epicenter
- 4.2256 km W of Haveluloto, Tonga7y ago · 31 km SE of this epicenter
Regional history
Past M5+ earthquakes within 300 km
USGS lists 1,680 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 · 278 km N of this epicenter
- 7.8159 km W of Pangai, TongaDecember 14, 1950 · 230 km NE of this epicenter
- 7.8Fiji regionJanuary 1, 1919 · 144 km N of this epicenter
- 7.8192 km WSW of Haveluloto, TongaOctober 14, 1997 · 202 km SE of this epicenter
- 7.7Fiji regionAugust 19, 2002 · 210 km SW of this epicenter
- 7.6178 km E of Levuka, FijiFebruary 22, 1909 · 293 km NW of this epicenter
- 7.6240 km E of Levuka, FijiMarch 9, 1994 · 290 km N of this epicenter
- 7.5262 km WNW of Haveluloto, TongaMay 21, 1962 · 70 km NE 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:
- 2018M8.2
Fiji Islands
19 Aug 2018 · 278 km away · intensity V
tsunami
- 1937M8.1
Fiji Islands
16 Apr 1937 · 135 km away
- 1919M7.8
Fiji Islands
1 Jan 1919 · 144 km away
tsunami
- 1950M7.7
Tonga Islands
14 Dec 1950 · 229 km away · intensity VI
- 1997M7.7
Tonga Islands
14 Oct 1997 · 202 km away
tsunami
- 2002M7.7
Fiji Islands
19 Aug 2002 · 210 km away
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.