Reviewed by USGS7y ago
M5.5 earthquake in Fiji region
Thursday, February 21, 2019, 06:34:39 UTC · 20.851°S, 178.839°W
A magnitude 5.5 earthquake struck in Fiji region on Thursday, February 21, 2019, 06:34:39 UTC, at a depth of 614.8 km (deep). The USGS PAGER alert is green: low likelihood of casualties and damage. It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M5.8 on January 27, 2019.
- Magnitude
- 5.5
- Moderate · mww
- Depth
- 615 km
- Deep
- Felt reports
- 0
- Did You Feel It?
- Est. shaking
- —
- No ShakeMap
- PAGER alert
- Green
- Impact estimate
- Tsunami
- No flag
- USGS feed
Outlined circle: this earthquakeDashed circle: 75 km aftershock search area
In context
How big was it, and why here?
Energy released
3 kilotons of TNT
That is about 1/6 of the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 6 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
262 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
615 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 populated area was estimated to feel noticeable shaking.
After the main event
Aftershocks within 75 km
USGS lists 6 M2.5+ earthquakes within 75 km in the following 30 days; the largest was M4.5 on March 21, 2019. Most nearby activity right after a large earthquake is aftershocks, which usually become less frequent over days and weeks.
Regional history
Past M5+ earthquakes within 300 km
USGS lists 1,311 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 7.8Fiji regionJanuary 1, 1919 · 188 km NE of this epicenter
- 7.8192 km WSW of Haveluloto, TongaOctober 14, 1997 · 255 km SE of this epicenter
- 7.7Fiji regionAugust 19, 2002 · 117 km SW of this epicenter
- 7.6178 km E of Levuka, FijiFebruary 22, 1909 · 296 km N of this epicenter
- 7.5262 km WNW of Haveluloto, TongaMay 21, 1962 · 167 km NE of this epicenter
- 7.4Fiji regionSeptember 28, 1957 · 62 km NE of this epicenter
- 7.4Fiji regionAugust 5, 1996 · 58 km E of this epicenter
- 7.4292 km SW of Vaini, TongaMay 23, 2013 · 292 km SE of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 5 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700. The most severe:
- 1937M8.1
Fiji Islands
16 Apr 1937 · 204 km away
- 1919M7.8
Fiji Islands
1 Jan 1919 · 188 km away
tsunami
- 1997M7.7
Tonga Islands
14 Oct 1997 · 255 km away
tsunami
- 2002M7.7
Fiji Islands
19 Aug 2002 · 117 km away
- 1957M7.5
Fiji Islands
28 Sep 1957 · 61 km away
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.