Reviewed by USGS8y ago
M4.3 earthquake in Fiji region
Thursday, October 25, 2018, 03:43:22 UTC · 20.180°S, 177.943°W
A magnitude 4.3 earthquake struck in Fiji region on Thursday, October 25, 2018, 03:43:22 UTC, at a depth of 560.5 km (deep).
- Magnitude
- 4.3
- Light · mb
- Depth
- 560 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
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
180 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
560 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 M4.6 on November 14, 2018. Most nearby activity right after a large earthquake is aftershocks, which usually become less frequent over days and weeks.
- 4.4Fiji region7y ago · 36 km SW of this epicenter
- 4.3278 km WNW of Haveluloto, Tonga7y ago · 50 km NE of this epicenter
- 4.6261 km WNW of Haveluloto, Tonga7y ago · 43 km SE of this epicenter
- 4.4298 km WNW of Haveluloto, Tonga7y ago · 14 km S of this epicenter
- 4.5Fiji region7y ago · 40 km NW of this epicenter
- 4.5282 km WNW of Haveluloto, Tonga8y ago · 47 km S of this epicenter
- 4.1295 km WNW of Haveluloto, Tonga8y ago · 45 km NE of this epicenter
- 4.5275 km WNW of Haveluloto, Tonga8y ago · 33 km SE of this epicenter
Regional history
Past M5+ earthquakes within 300 km
USGS lists 1,906 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 · 231 km N of this epicenter
- 7.8159 km W of Pangai, TongaDecember 14, 1950 · 223 km E of this epicenter
- 7.8Fiji regionJanuary 1, 1919 · 97 km N of this epicenter
- 7.8192 km WSW of Haveluloto, TongaOctober 14, 1997 · 246 km SE of this epicenter
- 7.7Fiji regionAugust 19, 2002 · 234 km SW of this epicenter
- 7.6178 km E of Levuka, FijiFebruary 22, 1909 · 247 km NW of this epicenter
- 7.6240 km E of Levuka, FijiMarch 9, 1994 · 243 km N of this epicenter
- 7.5262 km WNW of Haveluloto, TongaMay 21, 1962 · 52 km E 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 · 231 km away · intensity V
tsunami
- 1937M8.1
Fiji Islands
16 Apr 1937 · 176 km away
- 1909M7.8
Fiji Islands
22 Feb 1909 · 267 km away
- 1919M7.8
Fiji Islands
1 Jan 1919 · 97 km away
tsunami
- 1950M7.7
Tonga Islands
14 Dec 1950 · 217 km away · intensity VI
- 1997M7.7
Tonga Islands
14 Oct 1997 · 246 km away
tsunami
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.