Reviewed by USGS30y ago
M6.9 earthquake in Fiji region
Saturday, October 19, 1996, 14:53:48 UTC · 20.412°S, 178.510°W
A magnitude 6.9 earthquake struck in Fiji region on Saturday, October 19, 1996, 14:53:48 UTC, at a depth of 590.8 km (deep). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M7.4 on August 5, 1996.
- Magnitude
- 6.9
- Strong · mwc
- Depth
- 591 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
241 km
from the nearest mapped plate boundary, between the Tonga and Australian plates. Earthquakes this far from a boundary happen on faults inside a plate, often less frequently but sometimes strongly.
Depth: deep
591 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 11 M2.5+ earthquakes within 100 km in the following 30 days; the largest was M4.9 on October 24, 1996. Most nearby activity right after a large earthquake is aftershocks, which usually become less frequent over days and weeks.
- 4.6258 km WNW of Haveluloto, Tonga30y ago · 95 km E of this epicenter
- 4.8Fiji region30y ago · 52 km SE of this epicenter
- 4.2Fiji region30y ago · 53 km S of this epicenter
- 4.1Fiji region30y ago · 40 km SW of this epicenter
- 4.1Fiji region30y ago · 49 km SE of this epicenter
- 4.8290 km WNW of Haveluloto, Tonga30y ago · 65 km E of this epicenter
- 4.0296 km W of Haveluloto, Tonga30y ago · 59 km SE of this epicenter
- 4.0Fiji region30y ago · 75 km NE of this epicenter
Regional history
Past M5+ earthquakes within 300 km
USGS lists 1,101 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 7.8159 km W of Pangai, TongaDecember 14, 1950 · 286 km E of this epicenter
- 7.8Fiji regionJanuary 1, 1919 · 130 km N of this epicenter
- 7.6178 km E of Levuka, FijiFebruary 22, 1909 · 252 km N of this epicenter
- 7.6240 km E of Levuka, FijiMarch 9, 1994 · 264 km N of this epicenter
- 7.5262 km WNW of Haveluloto, TongaMay 21, 1962 · 115 km E of this epicenter
- 7.4227 km E of Levuka, FijiAugust 21, 1910 · 289 km N of this epicenter
- 7.4Fiji regionSeptember 28, 1957 · 22 km SE of this epicenter
- 7.4Fiji regionAugust 5, 1996 · 37 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. The most severe:
- 1937M8.1
Fiji Islands
16 Apr 1937 · 198 km away
- 1909M7.8
Fiji Islands
22 Feb 1909 · 273 km away
- 1919M7.8
Fiji Islands
1 Jan 1919 · 130 km away
tsunami
- 1950M7.7
Tonga Islands
14 Dec 1950 · 281 km away · intensity VI
- 1994M7.6
Fiji Islands
9 Mar 1994 · 264 km away
- 1957M7.5
Fiji Islands
28 Sep 1957 · 2 km away
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.