Reviewed by USGSFiji7y ago
M4.6 earthquake 285 km E of Levuka, Fiji
Sunday, December 9, 2018, 16:46:46 UTC · 18.069°S, 177.986°W
A magnitude 4.6 earthquake struck 285 km E of Levuka, Fiji on Sunday, December 9, 2018, 16:46:46 UTC, at a depth of 602.1 km (deep). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M4.9 on December 6, 2018.
- Magnitude
- 4.6
- Light · mb
- Depth
- 602 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
162 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
602 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 17 M2.5+ earthquakes within 50 km in the following 30 days; the largest was M4.8 on December 17, 2018. Most nearby activity right after a large earthquake is aftershocks, which usually become less frequent over days and weeks.
- 4.1264 km E of Levuka, Fiji7y ago · 49 km NW of this epicenter
- 4.3Fiji region7y ago · 27 km SE of this epicenter
- 4.1262 km E of Levuka, Fiji7y ago · 24 km W of this epicenter
- 4.3294 km E of Levuka, Fiji7y ago · 23 km N of this epicenter
- 4.5Fiji region7y ago · 30 km SE of this epicenter
- 4.0285 km E of Levuka, Fiji7y ago · 22 km S of this epicenter
- 4.4290 km E of Levuka, Fiji7y ago · 20 km N of this epicenter
- 4.3286 km E of Levuka, Fiji7y ago · 10 km N of this epicenter
Regional history
Past M5+ earthquakes within 300 km
USGS lists 1,527 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 · 18 km W of this epicenter
- 7.945 km S of Levuka, FijiSeptember 6, 2018 · 285 km W of this epicenter
- 7.8159 km W of Pangai, TongaDecember 14, 1950 · 287 km SE of this epicenter
- 7.8Fiji regionJanuary 1, 1919 · 139 km S of this epicenter
- 7.6178 km E of Levuka, FijiFebruary 22, 1909 · 108 km W of this epicenter
- 7.6240 km E of Levuka, FijiMarch 9, 1994 · 45 km W of this epicenter
- 7.5262 km WNW of Haveluloto, TongaMay 21, 1962 · 231 km S of this epicenter
- 7.4227 km E of Levuka, FijiAugust 21, 1910 · 66 km NW 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:
- 1919M6.9
Rabi,Tunuloa Mission,Suvasavu
3 Oct 1919 · 283 km away · intensity VIII
Moderate damage ($1–5M)
- 1979M6.9
Fiji Islands
16 Nov 1979 · 257 km away
Moderate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 1932M6.4
Koro,Mudu,Suvasavu
8 Mar 1932 · 239 km away · intensity VII
Moderate damage ($1–5M)
- 2018M8.2
Fiji Islands
19 Aug 2018 · 18 km away · intensity V
tsunami
- 2018M7.9
Fiji Islands
6 Sep 2018 · 285 km away · intensity VII
- 1909M7.8
Fiji Islands
22 Feb 1909 · 107 km away
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.