QuakeScout
Magnitude5.2

Reviewed by USGS7y ago

M5.2 earthquake in Fiji region

Tuesday, July 30, 2019, 01:21:27 UTC · 20.966°S, 178.860°W

A magnitude 5.2 earthquake struck in Fiji region on Tuesday, July 30, 2019, 01:21:27 UTC, at a depth of 606.7 km (deep). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M5.8 on July 3, 2019.

Magnitude
5.2
Moderate · mb
Depth
607 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: 75 km aftershock search area

In context

How big was it, and why here?

Energy released

951 tons of TNT

That is about 1/16 of the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 2 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.

Tectonic setting

260 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

607 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 75 km

USGS lists 4 M2.5+ earthquakes within 75 km in the following 30 days; the largest was M4.6 on August 17, 2019. Most nearby activity right after a large earthquake is aftershocks, which usually become less frequent over days and weeks.

M3M4M51h6h1d3d7d14d30dMainshock M5.2
Time after the mainshock on a logarithmic scale (first hours stretched), magnitude on the vertical axis. M2.5+ events from USGS.
  1. 4.2Fiji region7y ago · 71 km E of this epicenter
  2. 4.5Fiji region7y ago · 45 km SW of this epicenter
  3. 4.6Fiji region7y ago · 28 km E of this epicenter
  4. 4.2Fiji region7y ago · 16 km E of this epicenter

Regional history

Past M5+ earthquakes within 300 km

USGS lists 1,312 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:

  1. 7.8Fiji regionJanuary 1, 1919 · 200 km NE of this epicenter
  2. 7.8192 km WSW of Haveluloto, TongaOctober 14, 1997 · 250 km SE of this epicenter
  3. 7.7Fiji regionAugust 19, 2002 · 106 km SW of this epicenter
  4. 7.5262 km WNW of Haveluloto, TongaMay 21, 1962 · 176 km NE of this epicenter
  5. 7.4Fiji regionSeptember 28, 1957 · 71 km NE of this epicenter
  6. 7.4Fiji regionAugust 5, 1996 · 65 km NE of this epicenter
  7. 7.4292 km SW of Vaini, TongaMay 23, 2013 · 282 km SE of this epicenter
  8. 7.3227 km WNW of Haveluloto, TongaApril 16, 1937 · 166 km E 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:

  1. 1937M8.1

    Fiji Islands

    16 Apr 1937 · 202 km away

  2. 1919M7.8

    Fiji Islands

    1 Jan 1919 · 200 km away

    tsunami

  3. 1997M7.7

    Tonga Islands

    14 Oct 1997 · 250 km away

    tsunami

  4. 2002M7.7

    Fiji Islands

    19 Aug 2002 · 106 km away

  5. 1957M7.5

    Fiji Islands

    28 Sep 1957 · 73 km away

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

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