Reviewed by USGSFiji7y ago
M4.3 earthquake 292 km SE of Levuka, Fiji
Saturday, March 16, 2019, 05:36:39 UTC · 20.198°S, 179.042°W
A magnitude 4.3 earthquake struck 292 km SE of Levuka, Fiji on Saturday, March 16, 2019, 05:36:39 UTC, at a depth of 663.5 km (deep).
- Magnitude
- 4.3
- Light · mb
- Depth
- 664 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 earthquake
In context
How big was it, and why here?
Energy released
43 tons of TNT
That is about 1/354 of the Hiroshima bomb. A magnitude 5.0 releases about 11 times more energy.
Tectonic setting
282 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
664 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 has not published any M2.5+ earthquake within 50 km in the 30 days after this event.
Regional history
Past M5+ earthquakes within 300 km
USGS lists 1,691 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 · 250 km N of this epicenter
- 7.945 km S of Levuka, FijiSeptember 6, 2018 · 255 km NW of this epicenter
- 7.8Fiji regionJanuary 1, 1919 · 140 km NE of this epicenter
- 7.7Fiji regionAugust 19, 2002 · 174 km S of this epicenter
- 7.6178 km E of Levuka, FijiFebruary 22, 1909 · 223 km N of this epicenter
- 7.6240 km E of Levuka, FijiMarch 9, 1994 · 249 km N of this epicenter
- 7.5262 km WNW of Haveluloto, TongaMay 21, 1962 · 166 km E of this epicenter
- 7.4227 km E of Levuka, FijiAugust 21, 1910 · 270 km N 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:
- 1932M6.4
Koro,Mudu,Suvasavu
8 Mar 1932 · 256 km away · intensity VII
Moderate damage ($1–5M)
- 2018M8.2
Fiji Islands
19 Aug 2018 · 250 km away · intensity V
tsunami
- 1937M8.1
Fiji Islands
16 Apr 1937 · 257 km away
- 2018M7.9
Fiji Islands
6 Sep 2018 · 255 km away · intensity VII
- 1909M7.8
Fiji Islands
22 Feb 1909 · 244 km away
- 1919M7.8
Fiji Islands
1 Jan 1919 · 140 km away
tsunami
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.