Reviewed by USGSFiji29y ago
M3.1 earthquake 108 km ENE of Labasa, Fiji
Tuesday, January 13, 1998, 10:30:44 UTC · 16.158°S, 179.664°W
A magnitude 3.1 earthquake struck 108 km ENE of Labasa, Fiji on Tuesday, January 13, 1998, 10:30:44 UTC, at a depth of 300.0 km (deep).
- Magnitude
- 3.1
- Minor · mb
- Depth
- 300 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
674 kg of TNT
That is about 1/22,353 of the Hiroshima bomb. A magnitude 5.0 releases about 708 times more energy.
Tectonic setting
68 km
from the nearest mapped plate boundary, between the Balmoral Reef and Australian plates. Earthquakes cluster along boundaries like this one, where plates collide, pull apart or slide past each other.
Depth: deep
300 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 M5.5 on January 13, 1998. 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 613 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 7.6178 km E of Levuka, FijiFebruary 22, 1909 · 237 km S of this epicenter
- 7.6144 km SSW of Leava, Wallis and FutunaMay 23, 1956 · 122 km NE of this epicenter
- 7.6240 km E of Levuka, FijiMarch 9, 1994 · 248 km SE of this epicenter
- 7.4227 km E of Levuka, FijiAugust 21, 1910 · 219 km SE of this epicenter
- 7.1217 km E of Levuka, FijiJuly 8, 1916 · 236 km SE of this epicenter
- 7.0217 km ENE of Levuka, FijiAugust 25, 1963 · 194 km SE of this epicenter
- 7.085 km SW of Leava, Wallis and FutunaJanuary 19, 1967 · 180 km NE of this epicenter
- 6.9130 km ENE of Labasa, FijiDecember 26, 1949 · 33 km N of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 9 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 5 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1993M6.4
Futuna Island
12 Mar 1993 · 249 km away
5 deathsLimited damage (under $1M)tsunami
- 1919M6.9
Rabi,Tunuloa Mission,Suvasavu
3 Oct 1919 · 45 km away · intensity VIII
Moderate damage ($1–5M)
- 1979M6.9
Fiji Islands
16 Nov 1979 · 75 km away
Moderate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 1932M6.4
Koro,Mudu,Suvasavu
8 Mar 1932 · 235 km away · intensity VII
Moderate damage ($1–5M)
- 1884
Macuata
Jan 1884 · 144 km away · intensity VII
Limited damage (under $1M)tsunami
- 1909M7.8
Fiji Islands
22 Feb 1909 · 217 km away
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.