Reviewed by USGS7y ago
M5.8 earthquake south of the Fiji Islands
Wednesday, July 3, 2019, 03:45:29 UTC · 22.136°S, 179.515°W
A magnitude 5.8 earthquake struck south of the Fiji Islands on Wednesday, July 3, 2019, 03:45:29 UTC, at a depth of 596.1 km (deep). The USGS PAGER alert is green: low likelihood of casualties and damage. It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M6.0 on April 23, 2019.
- Magnitude
- 5.8
- Moderate · mww
- Depth
- 596 km
- Deep
- Felt reports
- 0
- Did You Feel It?
- Est. shaking
- I
- Not felt (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
8 kilotons of TNT
That is about 1/2 of the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 16 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
286 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
596 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 3 M2.5+ earthquakes within 75 km in the following 30 days; the largest was M4.5 on July 14, 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 1,441 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 7.8192 km WSW of Haveluloto, TongaOctober 14, 1997 · 283 km E of this epicenter
- 7.7south of the Fiji IslandsAugust 19, 2002 · 282 km SW of this epicenter
- 7.7Fiji regionAugust 19, 2002 · 49 km N of this epicenter
- 7.4Fiji regionSeptember 28, 1957 · 215 km NE of this epicenter
- 7.4Fiji regionAugust 5, 1996 · 203 km NE of this epicenter
- 7.4292 km SW of Vaini, TongaMay 23, 2013 · 254 km SE of this epicenter
- 7.3227 km WNW of Haveluloto, TongaApril 16, 1937 · 285 km NE of this epicenter
- 7.3Fiji regionMay 25, 1944 · 63 km N 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 · 269 km away
- 1997M7.7
Tonga Islands
14 Oct 1997 · 283 km away
tsunami
- 2002M7.7
Fiji Islands
19 Aug 2002 · 49 km away
- 2002M7.7
Fiji Islands
19 Aug 2002 · 282 km away
- 1957M7.5
Fiji Islands
28 Sep 1957 · 220 km away
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.