Reviewed by USGS30y ago
M4.5 earthquake in Fiji region
Friday, January 24, 1997, 11:40:15 UTC · 20.998°S, 179.157°W
A magnitude 4.5 earthquake struck in Fiji region on Friday, January 24, 1997, 11:40:15 UTC, at a depth of 650.0 km (deep). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M4.8 on January 21, 1997.
- Magnitude
- 4.5
- Light · mb
- Depth
- 650 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
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
288 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
650 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 2 M2.5+ earthquakes within 50 km in the following 30 days; the largest was M4.5 on February 22, 1997. 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 808 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 7.8Fiji regionJanuary 1, 1919 · 218 km NE of this epicenter
- 7.5262 km WNW of Haveluloto, TongaMay 21, 1962 · 204 km NE of this epicenter
- 7.4Fiji regionSeptember 28, 1957 · 98 km NE of this epicenter
- 7.4Fiji regionAugust 5, 1996 · 94 km E of this epicenter
- 7.3227 km WNW of Haveluloto, TongaApril 16, 1937 · 197 km E of this epicenter
- 7.3Fiji regionMay 25, 1944 · 71 km SW of this epicenter
- 7.2Fiji regionOctober 9, 1967 · 21 km S of this epicenter
- 7.2south of the Fiji IslandsFebruary 10, 1969 · 289 km SW 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. The most severe:
- 1937M8.1
Fiji Islands
16 Apr 1937 · 230 km away
- 1919M7.8
Fiji Islands
1 Jan 1919 · 218 km away
tsunami
- 1997M7.7
Tonga Islands
14 Oct 1997 · 275 km away
tsunami
- 1957M7.5
Fiji Islands
28 Sep 1957 · 95 km away
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.