Reviewed by USGS7y ago
M4.5 earthquake in Fiji region
Thursday, December 13, 2018, 22:13:18 UTC · 20.389°S, 178.179°W
A magnitude 4.5 earthquake struck in Fiji region on Thursday, December 13, 2018, 22:13:18 UTC, at a depth of 564.7 km (deep). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M4.5 on December 13, 2018.
- Magnitude
- 4.5
- Light · mb
- Depth
- 565 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
207 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
565 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 7 M2.5+ earthquakes within 50 km in the following 30 days; the largest was M4.7 on January 9, 2019. Most nearby activity right after a large earthquake is aftershocks, which usually become less frequent over days and weeks.
- 4.2Fiji region7y ago · 20 km E of this epicenter
- 4.7282 km WNW of Haveluloto, Tonga7y ago · 45 km E of this epicenter
- 4.5Fiji region7y ago · 20 km SE of this epicenter
- 4.7296 km WNW of Haveluloto, Tonga7y ago · 25 km SE of this epicenter
- 4.4Fiji region7y ago · 21 km SE of this epicenter
- 4.4Fiji region7y ago · 14 km NW of this epicenter
- 4.7Fiji region7y ago · 34 km NW of this epicenter
Regional history
Past M5+ earthquakes within 300 km
USGS lists 1,783 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 · 253 km N of this epicenter
- 7.8159 km W of Pangai, TongaDecember 14, 1950 · 252 km E of this epicenter
- 7.8Fiji regionJanuary 1, 1919 · 120 km N of this epicenter
- 7.8192 km WSW of Haveluloto, TongaOctober 14, 1997 · 240 km SE of this epicenter
- 7.7Fiji regionAugust 19, 2002 · 201 km SW of this epicenter
- 7.6178 km E of Levuka, FijiFebruary 22, 1909 · 259 km N of this epicenter
- 7.6240 km E of Levuka, FijiMarch 9, 1994 · 262 km N of this epicenter
- 7.5262 km WNW of Haveluloto, TongaMay 21, 1962 · 82 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 · 253 km away · intensity V
tsunami
- 1937M8.1
Fiji Islands
16 Apr 1937 · 174 km away
- 1909M7.8
Fiji Islands
22 Feb 1909 · 279 km away
- 1919M7.8
Fiji Islands
1 Jan 1919 · 120 km away
tsunami
- 1950M7.7
Tonga Islands
14 Dec 1950 · 248 km away · intensity VI
- 1997M7.7
Tonga Islands
14 Oct 1997 · 240 km away
tsunami
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.