Reviewed by USGSFiji7y ago
M4.3 earthquake 209 km ENE of Levuka, Fiji
Tuesday, October 29, 2019, 13:52:06 UTC · 17.648°S, 178.758°W
A magnitude 4.3 earthquake struck 209 km ENE of Levuka, Fiji on Tuesday, October 29, 2019, 13:52:06 UTC, at a depth of 551.5 km (deep).
- Magnitude
- 4.3
- Light · mb
- Depth
- 551 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
43 tons of TNT
That is about 1/354 of the Hiroshima bomb. A magnitude 5.0 releases about 11 times more energy.
Tectonic setting
198 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
551 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 M4.6 on November 14, 2019. Most nearby activity right after a large earthquake is aftershocks, which usually become less frequent over days and weeks.
- 4.1204 km ESE of Labasa, Fiji6y ago · 45 km NW of this epicenter
- 4.3219 km ENE of Levuka, Fiji6y ago · 27 km N of this epicenter
- 4.4236 km E of Levuka, Fiji6y ago · 41 km SE of this epicenter
- 4.2219 km ENE of Levuka, Fiji6y ago · 14 km NE of this epicenter
- 4.2221 km E of Levuka, Fiji6y ago · 28 km SE of this epicenter
- 4.2232 km E of Levuka, Fiji6y ago · 37 km SE of this epicenter
- 4.6206 km ENE of Levuka, Fiji6y ago · 2 km W of this epicenter
- 4.1241 km E of Levuka, Fiji6y ago · 36 km E of this epicenter
Regional history
Past M5+ earthquakes within 300 km
USGS lists 1,249 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 · 82 km SE of this epicenter
- 7.945 km S of Levuka, FijiSeptember 6, 2018 · 220 km SW of this epicenter
- 7.8Fiji regionJanuary 1, 1919 · 199 km S of this epicenter
- 7.6178 km E of Levuka, FijiFebruary 22, 1909 · 66 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 · 57 km SE of this epicenter
- 7.4227 km E of Levuka, FijiAugust 21, 1910 · 29 km SE of this epicenter
- 7.2Fiji regionMarch 31, 1907 · 197 km E 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 · 192 km away · intensity VIII
Moderate damage ($1–5M)
- 1979M6.9
Fiji Islands
16 Nov 1979 · 163 km away
Moderate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 1932M6.4
Koro,Mudu,Suvasavu
8 Mar 1932 · 169 km away · intensity VII
Moderate damage ($1–5M)
- 2018M8.2
Fiji Islands
19 Aug 2018 · 82 km away · intensity V
tsunami
- 2018M7.9
Fiji Islands
6 Sep 2018 · 220 km away · intensity VII
- 1909M7.8
Fiji Islands
22 Feb 1909 · 47 km away
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.