Reviewed by USGSFiji40y ago
M4.1 earthquake 204 km S of Suva, Fiji
Friday, May 30, 1986, 02:13:28 UTC · 19.983°S, 178.611°E
A magnitude 4.1 earthquake struck 204 km S of Suva, Fiji on Friday, May 30, 1986, 02:13:28 UTC, at a depth of 607.2 km (deep).
- Magnitude
- 4.1
- Light · mb
- Depth
- 607 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
21 tons of TNT
That is about 1/707 of the Hiroshima bomb. A magnitude 5.0 releases about 22 times more energy.
Tectonic setting
292 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
607 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 3 M2.5+ earthquakes within 50 km in the following 30 days; the largest was M5.2 on June 5, 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 193 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 7.3Fiji regionMay 25, 1944 · 269 km SE of this epicenter
- 7.2Fiji regionOctober 9, 1967 · 265 km SE of this epicenter
- 7.1Fiji regionFebruary 25, 1915 · 286 km SE of this epicenter
- 7.1Fiji regionJanuary 27, 1948 · 297 km E of this epicenter
- 7.1230 km S of Suva, FijiMay 26, 1986 · 35 km SE of this epicenter
- 6.8Fiji regionJuly 20, 1939 · 270 km SE of this epicenter
- 6.7south of the Fiji IslandsDecember 28, 1964 · 293 km SE of this epicenter
- 6.7Fiji regionJanuary 24, 1969 · 288 km SE of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 4 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 · 127 km away · intensity VIII
40 deathsLimited damage (under $1M)
- 1953M6.4
Fiji Islands
14 Sep 1953 · 192 km away
8 deathsLimited damage (under $1M)tsunami
- 1932M6.4
Koro,Mudu,Suvasavu
8 Mar 1932 · 232 km away · intensity VII
Moderate damage ($1–5M)
- 1975M4.9
Fiji Islands
16 Dec 1975 · 147 km away
tsunami
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.