Reviewed by USGSFiji40y ago
M5.5 earthquake 293 km SSW of Suva, Fiji
Monday, May 26, 1986, 19:48:36 UTC · 20.726°S, 177.814°E
A magnitude 5.5 earthquake struck 293 km SSW of Suva, Fiji on Monday, May 26, 1986, 19:48:36 UTC, at a depth of 622.5 km (deep). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M7.1 on May 26, 1986.
- Magnitude
- 5.5
- Moderate · mb
- Depth
- 623 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 earthquake
In context
How big was it, and why here?
Energy released
3 kilotons of TNT
That is about 1/6 of the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 6 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
183 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
623 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 has not published any M2.5+ earthquake within 75 km in the 30 days after this event.
Regional history
Past M5+ earthquakes within 300 km
USGS lists 69 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 7.3Fiji regionMay 25, 1944 · 300 km E of this epicenter
- 7.2south of the Fiji IslandsFebruary 10, 1969 · 253 km SE of this epicenter
- 7.1230 km S of Suva, FijiMay 26, 1986 · 124 km NE of this epicenter
- 6.7south of the Fiji IslandsDecember 28, 1964 · 298 km SE of this epicenter
- 6.5266 km S of Nadi, FijiMarch 15, 1920 · 94 km NW of this epicenter
- 6.5122 km S of Nadi, FijiApril 25, 1921 · 205 km N of this epicenter
- 6.5209 km SSE of Suva, FijiJanuary 22, 1923 · 148 km NE of this epicenter
- 6.429 km SSW of Suva, FijiSeptember 14, 1953 · 265 km N of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 3 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 · 193 km away · intensity VIII
40 deathsLimited damage (under $1M)
- 1953M6.4
Fiji Islands
14 Sep 1953 · 273 km away
8 deathsLimited damage (under $1M)tsunami
- 1975M4.9
Fiji Islands
16 Dec 1975 · 238 km away
tsunami
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.