Reviewed by USGSFiji33y ago
M6.9 earthquake 195 km E of Levuka, Fiji
Friday, April 16, 1993, 14:08:38 UTC · 17.778°S, 178.864°W
A magnitude 6.9 earthquake struck 195 km E of Levuka, Fiji on Friday, April 16, 1993, 14:08:38 UTC, at a depth of 565.1 km (deep). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M6.9 on November 16, 1979.
- Magnitude
- 6.9
- Strong · mwb
- Depth
- 565 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: 100 km aftershock search area
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
216 km
from the nearest mapped plate boundary, between the Niuafo'ou and Australian plates. Earthquakes this far from a boundary happen on faults inside a plate, often less frequently but sometimes strongly.
Depth: deep
565 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 100 km
USGS lists 5 M2.5+ earthquakes within 100 km in the following 30 days; the largest was M4.7 on May 2, 1993. Most nearby activity right after a large earthquake is aftershocks, which usually become less frequent over days and weeks.
- 4.4269 km E of Levuka, Fiji33y ago · 93 km SE of this epicenter
- 4.4190 km ENE of Levuka, Fiji33y ago · 45 km N of this epicenter
- 4.7193 km ENE of Levuka, Fiji33y ago · 37 km N of this epicenter
- 4.6195 km ENE of Levuka, Fiji33y ago · 9 km N of this epicenter
- 4.5231 km E of Levuka, Fiji33y ago · 36 km E of this epicenter
Regional history
Past M5+ earthquakes within 300 km
USGS lists 697 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 7.8Fiji regionJanuary 1, 1919 · 190 km SE of this epicenter
- 7.6178 km E of Levuka, FijiFebruary 22, 1909 · 48 km S of this epicenter
- 7.6144 km SSW of Leava, Wallis and FutunaMay 23, 1956 · 261 km N of this epicenter
- 7.5262 km WNW of Haveluloto, TongaMay 21, 1962 · 296 km SE of this epicenter
- 7.4227 km E of Levuka, FijiAugust 21, 1910 · 34 km E of this epicenter
- 7.2241 km WNW of Houma, TongaAugust 21, 1911 · 299 km SE of this epicenter
- 7.2Fiji regionMarch 31, 1907 · 205 km E of this epicenter
- 7.1217 km E of Levuka, FijiJuly 8, 1916 · 38 km SE of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 7 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700. The most severe:
- 1919M6.9
Rabi,Tunuloa Mission,Suvasavu
3 Oct 1919 · 195 km away · intensity VIII
Moderate damage ($1–5M)
- 1979M6.9
Fiji Islands
16 Nov 1979 · 164 km away
Moderate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 1932M6.4
Koro,Mudu,Suvasavu
8 Mar 1932 · 154 km away · intensity VII
Moderate damage ($1–5M)
- 1909M7.8
Fiji Islands
22 Feb 1909 · 29 km away
- 1919M7.8
Fiji Islands
1 Jan 1919 · 190 km away
tsunami
- 1957M7.5
Fiji Islands
28 Sep 1957 · 294 km away
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.