Reviewed by USGSTonga7y ago
M4.6 earthquake 261 km WNW of Haveluloto, Tonga
Wednesday, November 14, 2018, 17:57:28 UTC · 20.349°S, 177.576°W
A magnitude 4.6 earthquake struck 261 km WNW of Haveluloto, Tonga on Wednesday, November 14, 2018, 17:57:28 UTC, at a depth of 513.8 km (deep). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M5.0 on November 12, 2018.
- Magnitude
- 4.6
- Light · mb
- Depth
- 514 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
120 tons of TNT
That is about 1/126 of the Hiroshima bomb. A magnitude 5.0 releases about 4 times more energy.
Tectonic setting
147 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
514 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 8 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 · 26 km W of this epicenter
- 4.6274 km WNW of Haveluloto, Tonga7y ago · 13 km W of this epicenter
- 4.8Fiji region7y ago · 47 km W of this epicenter
- 4.2273 km WNW of Haveluloto, Tonga7y ago · 20 km N of this epicenter
- 4.3278 km WNW of Haveluloto, Tonga7y ago · 46 km N of this epicenter
- 4.4254 km WNW of Haveluloto, Tonga7y ago · 17 km S of this epicenter
- 4.2256 km W of Haveluloto, Tonga7y ago · 49 km S of this epicenter
- 4.1254 km WNW of Haveluloto, Tonga7y ago · 40 km S of this epicenter
Regional history
Past M5+ earthquakes within 300 km
USGS lists 1,835 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 · 256 km N of this epicenter
- 8.0TongaJanuary 4, 1903 · 272 km E of this epicenter
- 7.8159 km W of Pangai, TongaDecember 14, 1950 · 192 km E of this epicenter
- 7.8Fiji regionJanuary 1, 1919 · 126 km NW of this epicenter
- 7.8192 km WSW of Haveluloto, TongaOctober 14, 1997 · 212 km SE of this epicenter
- 7.7Fiji regionAugust 19, 2002 · 251 km SW of this epicenter
- 7.6178 km E of Levuka, FijiFebruary 22, 1909 · 283 km NW of this epicenter
- 7.6240 km E of Levuka, FijiMarch 9, 1994 · 272 km N of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 11 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700. The most severe:
- 2018M8.2
Fiji Islands
19 Aug 2018 · 256 km away · intensity V
tsunami
- 1937M8.1
Fiji Islands
16 Apr 1937 · 141 km away
- 1903M8.0
Tonga Islands
4 Jan 1903 · 272 km away
- 1919M7.8
Fiji Islands
1 Jan 1919 · 126 km away
tsunami
- 1950M7.7
Tonga Islands
14 Dec 1950 · 190 km away · intensity VI
- 1997M7.7
Tonga Islands
14 Oct 1997 · 212 km away
tsunami
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.