Reviewed by USGSFiji40y ago
M7.1 earthquake 230 km S of Suva, Fiji
Monday, May 26, 1986, 19:06:15 UTC · 20.190°S, 178.860°E
A magnitude 7.1 earthquake struck 230 km S of Suva, Fiji on Monday, May 26, 1986, 19:06:15 UTC, at a depth of 538.3 km (deep). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M7.2 on February 10, 1969.
- Magnitude
- 7.1
- Major · mw
- Depth
- 538 km
- Deep
- Felt reports
- 0
- Did You Feel It?
- Est. shaking
- IV
- Light (ShakeMap)
- PAGER alert
- None
- Not issued
- Tsunami
- No flag
- USGS feed
Outlined circle: this earthquakeDashed circle: 200 km aftershock search areaColoured lines: estimated shaking intensity (USGS ShakeMap)
In context
How big was it, and why here?
Energy released
674 kilotons of TNT
That is about 45 times the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 1,413 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
306 km
from the nearest mapped plate boundary, between the Australian and Conway Reef plates. Earthquakes this far from a boundary happen on faults inside a plate, often less frequently but sometimes strongly.
Depth: deep
538 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 200 km
USGS lists 7 M2.5+ earthquakes within 200 km in the following 30 days; the largest was M5.5 on May 26, 1986. Most nearby activity right after a large earthquake is aftershocks, which usually become less frequent over days and weeks.
- 4.9233 km SSE of Suva, Fiji40y ago · 3 km SE of this epicenter
- 5.2233 km S of Suva, Fiji40y ago · 2 km SE of this epicenter
- 4.7204 km S of Suva, Fiji40y ago · 28 km NW of this epicenter
- 4.1204 km S of Suva, Fiji40y ago · 35 km NW of this epicenter
- 4.9171 km S of Suva, Fiji40y ago · 60 km N of this epicenter
- 4.8227 km SSE of Suva, Fiji40y ago · 5 km NE of this epicenter
- 5.5293 km SSW of Suva, Fiji40y ago · 124 km SW of this epicenter
Regional history
Past M5+ earthquakes within 300 km
USGS lists 289 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 7.4Fiji regionSeptember 28, 1957 · 294 km E of this epicenter
- 7.3Fiji regionMay 25, 1944 · 235 km SE of this epicenter
- 7.2Fiji regionOctober 9, 1967 · 231 km SE of this epicenter
- 7.2south of the Fiji IslandsFebruary 10, 1969 · 290 km S of this epicenter
- 7.1Fiji regionFebruary 25, 1915 · 251 km SE of this epicenter
- 7.1Fiji regionJanuary 27, 1948 · 270 km E of this epicenter
- 7.1Fiji regionMay 4, 1924 · 276 km SE of this epicenter
- 6.8Fiji regionJuly 20, 1939 · 236 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, which together caused about 48 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1840
Kadavu
1840 · 160 km away · intensity VIII
40 deathsLimited damage (under $1M)
- 1953M6.4
Fiji Islands
14 Sep 1953 · 221 km away
8 deathsLimited damage (under $1M)tsunami
- 1932M6.4
Koro,Mudu,Suvasavu
8 Mar 1932 · 241 km away · intensity VII
Moderate damage ($1–5M)
- 1957M7.5
Fiji Islands
28 Sep 1957 · 276 km away
- 1975M4.9
Fiji Islands
16 Dec 1975 · 174 km away
tsunami
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.