Reviewed by USGSFiji29y ago
M4.7 earthquake 175 km NE of Labasa, Fiji
Thursday, January 15, 1998, 05:17:46 UTC · 15.301°S, 179.482°W
A magnitude 4.7 earthquake struck 175 km NE of Labasa, Fiji on Thursday, January 15, 1998, 05:17:46 UTC, at a depth of 33.0 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M5.9 on January 14, 1998.
- Magnitude
- 4.7
- Light · ms
- 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 earthquake
In context
How big was it, and why here?
Energy released
169 tons of TNT
That is about 1/89 of the Hiroshima bomb. A magnitude 5.0 releases about 3 times more energy.
Tectonic setting
10 km
from the nearest mapped plate boundary, between the Futuna and Pacific 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 50 km
USGS has not published any M2.5+ earthquake within 50 km in the 30 days after this event.
Regional history
Past M5+ earthquakes within 300 km
USGS lists 386 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 7.6144 km SSW of Leava, Wallis and FutunaMay 23, 1956 · 74 km E of this epicenter
- 7.4227 km E of Levuka, FijiAugust 21, 1910 · 297 km S of this epicenter
- 7.0217 km ENE of Levuka, FijiAugust 25, 1963 · 272 km S of this epicenter
- 7.085 km SW of Leava, Wallis and FutunaJanuary 19, 1967 · 96 km NE of this epicenter
- 6.9130 km ENE of Labasa, FijiDecember 26, 1949 · 65 km S of this epicenter
- 6.978 km ESE of Labasa, FijiNovember 16, 1979 · 171 km S of this epicenter
- 6.9195 km E of Levuka, FijiApril 16, 1993 · 283 km S of this epicenter
- 6.7179 km ENE of Levuka, FijiJune 21, 1928 · 226 km S 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, which together caused about 5 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1993M6.4
Futuna Island
12 Mar 1993 · 167 km away
5 deathsLimited damage (under $1M)tsunami
- 1919M6.9
Rabi,Tunuloa Mission,Suvasavu
3 Oct 1919 · 134 km away · intensity VIII
Moderate damage ($1–5M)
- 1979M6.9
Fiji Islands
16 Nov 1979 · 171 km away
Moderate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 1884
Macuata
Jan 1884 · 180 km away · intensity VII
Limited damage (under $1M)tsunami
- 1956M7.5
Fiji Islands
23 May 1956 · 62 km away
- 1881
Fiji Islands
12 Jul 1881 · 180 km away
tsunami
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.