Reviewed by USGSFiji29y ago
M5.9 earthquake 160 km ENE of Labasa, Fiji
Wednesday, January 14, 1998, 19:56:12 UTC · 15.764°S, 179.303°W
A magnitude 5.9 earthquake struck 160 km ENE of Labasa, Fiji on Wednesday, January 14, 1998, 19:56:12 UTC, at a depth of 33.0 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M6.6 on January 14, 1998.
- Magnitude
- 5.9
- Moderate · mwc
- 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: 75 km aftershock search area
In context
How big was it, and why here?
Energy released
11 kilotons of TNT
That is about the energy of the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 22 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
29 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 75 km
USGS lists 3 M2.5+ earthquakes within 75 km in the following 30 days; the largest was M4.7 on January 15, 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 605 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 · 272 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 · 270 km S of this epicenter
- 7.4227 km E of Levuka, FijiAugust 21, 1910 · 242 km S of this epicenter
- 7.1217 km E of Levuka, FijiJuly 8, 1916 · 262 km S of this epicenter
- 7.0217 km ENE of Levuka, FijiAugust 25, 1963 · 217 km S of this epicenter
- 7.085 km SW of Leava, Wallis and FutunaJanuary 19, 1967 · 122 km NE of this epicenter
- 6.9130 km ENE of Labasa, FijiDecember 26, 1949 · 30 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 · 190 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 · 132 km away
Moderate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 1932M6.4
Koro,Mudu,Suvasavu
8 Mar 1932 · 289 km away · intensity VII
Moderate damage ($1–5M)
- 1884
Macuata
Jan 1884 · 183 km away · intensity VII
Limited damage (under $1M)tsunami
- 1909M7.8
Fiji Islands
22 Feb 1909 · 251 km away
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.