Reviewed by USGSFiji47y ago
M6.9 earthquake 78 km ESE of Labasa, Fiji
Friday, November 16, 1979, 15:21:25 UTC · 16.760°S, 179.984°W
A magnitude 6.9 earthquake struck 78 km ESE of Labasa, Fiji on Friday, November 16, 1979, 15:21:25 UTC, at a depth of 33.0 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M7.0 on January 19, 1967.
- Magnitude
- 6.9
- Strong · ms
- Depth
- 33 km
- Shallow
- Felt reports
- 0
- Did You Feel It?
- Est. shaking
- VII
- Very strong (ShakeMap)
- PAGER alert
- None
- Not issued
- Tsunami
- No flag
- USGS feed
Outlined circle: this earthquakeDashed circle: 100 km aftershock search areaColoured lines: estimated shaking intensity (USGS ShakeMap)
In context
How big was it, and why here?
Energy released
338 kilotons of TNT
That is about 22 times the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 708 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
123 km
from the nearest mapped plate boundary, between the Balmoral Reef and Australian plates. Earthquakes this far from a boundary happen on faults inside a plate, often less frequently but sometimes strongly.
Depth: shallow
33 km
Shallow earthquakes (under 70 km) produce the strongest surface shaking for their size, so they are the ones most likely to cause damage near the epicenter.
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 100 km
USGS lists 1 M2.5+ earthquake within 100 km in the following 30 days; the largest was M4.3 on November 25, 1979. 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 221 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 7.6178 km E of Levuka, FijiFebruary 22, 1909 · 190 km SE of this epicenter
- 7.6144 km SSW of Leava, Wallis and FutunaMay 23, 1956 · 194 km NE of this epicenter
- 7.4227 km E of Levuka, FijiAugust 21, 1910 · 192 km SE of this epicenter
- 7.1217 km E of Levuka, FijiJuly 8, 1916 · 202 km SE of this epicenter
- 7.0217 km ENE of Levuka, FijiAugust 25, 1963 · 168 km SE of this epicenter
- 7.085 km SW of Leava, Wallis and FutunaJanuary 19, 1967 · 254 km NE of this epicenter
- 6.9130 km ENE of Labasa, FijiDecember 26, 1949 · 108 km NE of this epicenter
- 6.7179 km ENE of Levuka, FijiJune 21, 1928 · 105 km SE 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, which together caused about 8 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1953M6.4
Fiji Islands
14 Sep 1953 · 258 km away
8 deathsLimited damage (under $1M)tsunami
- 1919M6.9
Rabi,Tunuloa Mission,Suvasavu
3 Oct 1919 · 40 km away · intensity VIII
Moderate damage ($1–5M)
- 1979M6.9
Fiji Islands
16 Nov 1979 · 0 km away
Moderate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 1932M6.4
Koro,Mudu,Suvasavu
8 Mar 1932 · 162 km away · intensity VII
Moderate damage ($1–5M)
- 1884
Macuata
Jan 1884 · 137 km away · intensity VII
Limited damage (under $1M)tsunami
- 1909M7.8
Fiji Islands
22 Feb 1909 · 173 km away
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.