Reviewed by USGSFiji7y ago
M4.2 earthquake 275 km ENE of Levuka, Fiji
Saturday, December 22, 2018, 16:56:07 UTC · 17.555°S, 178.142°W
A magnitude 4.2 earthquake struck 275 km ENE of Levuka, Fiji on Saturday, December 22, 2018, 16:56:07 UTC, at a depth of 592.6 km (deep).
- Magnitude
- 4.2
- Light · mb
- Depth
- 593 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
30 tons of TNT
That is about 1/500 of the Hiroshima bomb. A magnitude 5.0 releases about 16 times more energy.
Tectonic setting
147 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
593 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 M4.4 on January 9, 2019. Most nearby activity right after a large earthquake is aftershocks, which usually become less frequent over days and weeks.
- 4.1279 km E of Levuka, Fiji7y ago · 34 km S of this epicenter
- 4.3Fiji region7y ago · 36 km NE of this epicenter
- 4.4227 km ENE of Levuka, Fiji7y ago · 47 km W of this epicenter
- 4.1Fiji region7y ago · 32 km NE of this epicenter
- 4.1264 km E of Levuka, Fiji7y ago · 17 km SW of this epicenter
- 4.3294 km E of Levuka, Fiji7y ago · 43 km SE of this epicenter
- 4.4290 km E of Levuka, Fiji7y ago · 43 km SE of this epicenter
- 4.4286 km E of Levuka, Fiji7y ago · 47 km S of this epicenter
Regional history
Past M5+ earthquakes within 300 km
USGS lists 1,306 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 · 62 km S of this epicenter
- 7.945 km S of Levuka, FijiSeptember 6, 2018 · 284 km W of this epicenter
- 7.8Fiji regionJanuary 1, 1919 · 196 km S of this epicenter
- 7.6178 km E of Levuka, FijiFebruary 22, 1909 · 115 km SW of this epicenter
- 7.6144 km SSW of Leava, Wallis and FutunaMay 23, 1956 · 246 km N of this epicenter
- 7.6240 km E of Levuka, FijiMarch 9, 1994 · 61 km SW of this epicenter
- 7.5262 km WNW of Haveluloto, TongaMay 21, 1962 · 291 km S of this epicenter
- 7.4227 km E of Levuka, FijiAugust 21, 1910 · 52 km SW 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:
- 1919M6.9
Rabi,Tunuloa Mission,Suvasavu
3 Oct 1919 · 236 km away · intensity VIII
Moderate damage ($1–5M)
- 1979M6.9
Fiji Islands
16 Nov 1979 · 215 km away
Moderate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 1932M6.4
Koro,Mudu,Suvasavu
8 Mar 1932 · 234 km away · intensity VII
Moderate damage ($1–5M)
- 2018M8.2
Fiji Islands
19 Aug 2018 · 62 km away · intensity V
tsunami
- 2018M7.9
Fiji Islands
6 Sep 2018 · 284 km away · intensity VII
- 1909M7.8
Fiji Islands
22 Feb 1909 · 103 km away
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.