Reviewed by USGSFiji40y ago
M4.9 earthquake 171 km S of Suva, Fiji
Thursday, May 29, 1986, 22:57:54 UTC · 19.662°S, 178.749°E
A magnitude 4.9 earthquake struck 171 km S of Suva, Fiji on Thursday, May 29, 1986, 22:57:54 UTC, at a depth of 412.3 km (deep). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M5.5 on May 26, 1986.
- Magnitude
- 4.9
- Light · mb
- Depth
- 412 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
338 tons of TNT
That is about 1/45 of the Hiroshima bomb. A magnitude 5.0 releases about 1 times more energy.
Tectonic setting
290 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
412 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 2 M2.5+ earthquakes within 50 km in the following 30 days; the largest was M4.7 on June 3, 1986. 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 169 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 · 288 km NE of this epicenter
- 7.3Fiji regionMay 25, 1944 · 284 km SE of this epicenter
- 7.2Fiji regionOctober 9, 1967 · 274 km SE of this epicenter
- 7.1Fiji regionJanuary 27, 1948 · 288 km E of this epicenter
- 7.1230 km S of Suva, FijiMay 26, 1986 · 60 km S of this epicenter
- 6.8Fiji regionJuly 20, 1939 · 277 km SE of this epicenter
- 6.7Fiji regionMarch 17, 1966 · 279 km SE of this epicenter
- 6.6Fiji regionAugust 28, 1985 · 280 km SE of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 6 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 · 108 km away · intensity VIII
40 deathsLimited damage (under $1M)
- 1953M6.4
Fiji Islands
14 Sep 1953 · 162 km away
8 deathsLimited damage (under $1M)tsunami
- 1932M6.4
Koro,Mudu,Suvasavu
8 Mar 1932 · 194 km away · intensity VII
Moderate damage ($1–5M)
- 1909M7.8
Fiji Islands
22 Feb 1909 · 300 km away
- 1957M7.5
Fiji Islands
28 Sep 1957 · 299 km away
- 1975M4.9
Fiji Islands
16 Dec 1975 · 114 km away
tsunami
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.