Reviewed by USGSFiji30y ago
M5.6 earthquake 247 km SE of Levuka, Fiji
Sunday, September 8, 1996, 11:42:51 UTC · 19.718°S, 179.097°W
A magnitude 5.6 earthquake struck 247 km SE of Levuka, Fiji on Sunday, September 8, 1996, 11:42:51 UTC, at a depth of 600.0 km (deep). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M7.4 on August 5, 1996.
- Magnitude
- 5.6
- Moderate · mwc
- Depth
- 600 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: 75 km aftershock search area
In context
How big was it, and why here?
Energy released
4 kilotons of TNT
That is about 1/4 of the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 8 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
273 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
600 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 lists 3 M2.5+ earthquakes within 75 km in the following 30 days; the largest was M5.4 on October 2, 1996. 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 1,074 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 7.8Fiji regionJanuary 1, 1919 · 115 km E of this epicenter
- 7.6178 km E of Levuka, FijiFebruary 22, 1909 · 170 km N of this epicenter
- 7.6240 km E of Levuka, FijiMarch 9, 1994 · 200 km N of this epicenter
- 7.5262 km WNW of Haveluloto, TongaMay 21, 1962 · 176 km E of this epicenter
- 7.4227 km E of Levuka, FijiAugust 21, 1910 · 219 km N of this epicenter
- 7.4Fiji regionSeptember 28, 1957 · 120 km SE of this epicenter
- 7.4Fiji regionAugust 5, 1996 · 136 km SE of this epicenter
- 7.3227 km WNW of Haveluloto, TongaApril 16, 1937 · 210 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:
- 1932M6.4
Koro,Mudu,Suvasavu
8 Mar 1932 · 208 km away · intensity VII
Moderate damage ($1–5M)
- 1937M8.1
Fiji Islands
16 Apr 1937 · 295 km away
- 1909M7.8
Fiji Islands
22 Feb 1909 · 191 km away
- 1919M7.8
Fiji Islands
1 Jan 1919 · 115 km away
tsunami
- 1994M7.6
Fiji Islands
9 Mar 1994 · 200 km away
- 1957M7.5
Fiji Islands
28 Sep 1957 · 98 km away
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.