Reviewed by USGSFiji29y ago
M6.6 earthquake 159 km ENE of Labasa, Fiji
Wednesday, January 14, 1998, 17:24:10 UTC · 15.731°S, 179.329°W
A magnitude 6.6 earthquake struck 159 km ENE of Labasa, Fiji on Wednesday, January 14, 1998, 17:24:10 UTC, at a depth of 33.0 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M6.7 on January 12, 1998.
- Magnitude
- 6.6
- Strong · mwb
- Depth
- 33 km
- Shallow
- 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
120 kilotons of TNT
That is about 8 times the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 251 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
24 km
from the nearest mapped plate boundary, between the Futuna and Australian plates. Earthquakes cluster along boundaries like this one, where plates collide, pull apart or slide past each other.
Depth: shallow
33 km
Shallow earthquakes (under 70 km) produce the strongest surface shaking for their size, so they are the ones most likely to cause damage near the epicenter.
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 4 M2.5+ earthquakes within 100 km in the following 30 days; the largest was M5.9 on January 14, 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 592 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 · 276 km S of this epicenter
- 7.6144 km SSW of Leava, Wallis and FutunaMay 23, 1956 · 65 km NE of this epicenter
- 7.6240 km E of Levuka, FijiMarch 9, 1994 · 275 km S of this epicenter
- 7.4227 km E of Levuka, FijiAugust 21, 1910 · 246 km S of this epicenter
- 7.1217 km E of Levuka, FijiJuly 8, 1916 · 267 km S of this epicenter
- 7.0217 km ENE of Levuka, FijiAugust 25, 1963 · 222 km S of this epicenter
- 7.085 km SW of Leava, Wallis and FutunaJanuary 19, 1967 · 120 km NE of this epicenter
- 6.9130 km ENE of Labasa, FijiDecember 26, 1949 · 29 km SW 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 · 189 km away
5 deathsLimited damage (under $1M)tsunami
- 1919M6.9
Rabi,Tunuloa Mission,Suvasavu
3 Oct 1919 · 103 km away · intensity VIII
Moderate damage ($1–5M)
- 1979M6.9
Fiji Islands
16 Nov 1979 · 134 km away
Moderate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 1932M6.4
Koro,Mudu,Suvasavu
8 Mar 1932 · 291 km away · intensity VII
Moderate damage ($1–5M)
- 1884
Macuata
Jan 1884 · 181 km away · intensity VII
Limited damage (under $1M)tsunami
- 1909M7.8
Fiji Islands
22 Feb 1909 · 255 km away
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.