QuakeScout
Magnitude4.4

Reviewed by USGS7y ago

M4.4 earthquake in Fiji region

Thursday, January 31, 2019, 01:03:41 UTC · 18.943°S, 177.487°W

A magnitude 4.4 earthquake struck in Fiji region on Thursday, January 31, 2019, 01:03:41 UTC, at a depth of 481.9 km (deep).

Magnitude
4.4
Light · mb
Depth
482 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

60 tons of TNT

That is about 1/251 of the Hiroshima bomb. A magnitude 5.0 releases about 8 times more energy.

Tectonic setting

95 km

from the nearest mapped plate boundary, between the Niuafo'ou and Australian plates. Earthquakes cluster along boundaries like this one, where plates collide, pull apart or slide past each other.

Depth: deep

482 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 5 M2.5+ earthquakes within 50 km in the following 30 days; the largest was M4.3 on February 22, 2019. Most nearby activity right after a large earthquake is aftershocks, which usually become less frequent over days and weeks.

M3M41h6h1d3d7d14d30dMainshock M4.4
Time after the mainshock on a logarithmic scale (first hours stretched), magnitude on the vertical axis. M2.5+ events from USGS.
  1. 4.3Fiji region7y ago · 49 km S of this epicenter
  2. 4.2Fiji region7y ago · 30 km N of this epicenter
  3. 4.2Fiji region7y ago · 49 km NW of this epicenter
  4. 4.2Fiji region7y ago · 43 km NE of this epicenter
  5. 4.2Fiji region7y ago · 19 km SE of this epicenter

Regional history

Past M5+ earthquakes within 300 km

USGS lists 1,878 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:

  1. 8.22018 Fiji EarthquakeAugust 19, 2018 · 116 km NW of this epicenter
  2. 8.0TongaJanuary 4, 1903 · 286 km SE of this epicenter
  3. 7.8159 km W of Pangai, TongaDecember 14, 1950 · 189 km SE of this epicenter
  4. 7.8Fiji regionJanuary 1, 1919 · 75 km SW of this epicenter
  5. 7.6178 km E of Levuka, FijiFebruary 22, 1909 · 180 km NW of this epicenter
  6. 7.6240 km E of Levuka, FijiMarch 9, 1994 · 140 km NW of this epicenter
  7. 7.5262 km WNW of Haveluloto, TongaMay 21, 1962 · 127 km S of this epicenter
  8. 7.4227 km E of Levuka, FijiAugust 21, 1910 · 168 km NW of this epicenter

History · NOAA

Deadliest earthquakes in this area

NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 8 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700. The most severe:

  1. 2018M8.2

    Fiji Islands

    19 Aug 2018 · 116 km away · intensity V

    tsunami

  2. 1937M8.1

    Fiji Islands

    16 Apr 1937 · 289 km away

  3. 1903M8.0

    Tonga Islands

    4 Jan 1903 · 286 km away

  4. 1909M7.8

    Fiji Islands

    22 Feb 1909 · 191 km away

  5. 1919M7.8

    Fiji Islands

    1 Jan 1919 · 75 km away

    tsunami

  6. 1950M7.7

    Tonga Islands

    14 Dec 1950 · 168 km away · intensity VI

NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.

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