Reviewed by USGSFiji32y ago
M4.5 earthquake 290 km E of Levuka, Fiji
Tuesday, July 5, 1994, 13:06:57 UTC · 17.581°S, 177.989°W
A magnitude 4.5 earthquake struck 290 km E of Levuka, Fiji on Tuesday, July 5, 1994, 13:06:57 UTC, at a depth of 145.6 km (intermediate). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M5.9 on July 5, 1994.
- Magnitude
- 4.5
- Light · mb
- Depth
- 146 km
- Intermediate
- 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
85 tons of TNT
That is about 1/178 of the Hiroshima bomb. A magnitude 5.0 releases about 6 times more energy.
Tectonic setting
136 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: intermediate
146 km
Intermediate-depth earthquakes usually break inside a plate that is sinking into the mantle. Shaking spreads over a wide area but is gentler at the epicenter than a shallow quake of the same size.
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 1 M2.5+ earthquake within 50 km in the following 30 days; the largest was M4.4 on July 28, 1994. 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 776 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 7.8Fiji regionJanuary 1, 1919 · 193 km S of this epicenter
- 7.6178 km E of Levuka, FijiFebruary 22, 1909 · 127 km SW of this epicenter
- 7.6144 km SSW of Leava, Wallis and FutunaMay 23, 1956 · 254 km N of this epicenter
- 7.6240 km E of Levuka, FijiMarch 9, 1994 · 68 km SW of this epicenter
- 7.5262 km WNW of Haveluloto, TongaMay 21, 1962 · 284 km S of this epicenter
- 7.4227 km E of Levuka, FijiAugust 21, 1910 · 65 km SW of this epicenter
- 7.2241 km WNW of Houma, TongaAugust 21, 1911 · 280 km S of this epicenter
- 7.2Fiji regionMarch 31, 1907 · 123 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 · 251 km away · intensity VIII
Moderate damage ($1–5M)
- 1979M6.9
Fiji Islands
16 Nov 1979 · 231 km away
Moderate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 1932M6.4
Koro,Mudu,Suvasavu
8 Mar 1932 · 249 km away · intensity VII
Moderate damage ($1–5M)
- 1909M7.8
Fiji Islands
22 Feb 1909 · 117 km away
- 1919M7.8
Fiji Islands
1 Jan 1919 · 193 km away
tsunami
- 1950M7.7
Tonga Islands
14 Dec 1950 · 299 km away · intensity VI
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.