Reviewed by USGSFiji28y ago
M7.2 earthquake 178 km ENE of Levuka, Fiji
Sunday, March 29, 1998, 19:48:16 UTC · 17.552°S, 179.092°W
A magnitude 7.2 earthquake struck 178 km ENE of Levuka, Fiji on Sunday, March 29, 1998, 19:48:16 UTC, at a depth of 537.2 km (deep). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M7.6 on March 9, 1994.
- Magnitude
- 7.2
- Major · mwc
- Depth
- 537 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: 200 km aftershock search area
In context
How big was it, and why here?
Energy released
951 kilotons of TNT
That is about 63 times the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 1,995 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
213 km
from the nearest mapped plate boundary, between the Niuafo'ou and Australian plates. Earthquakes this far from a boundary happen on faults inside a plate, often less frequently but sometimes strongly.
Depth: deep
537 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 200 km
USGS lists 31 M2.5+ earthquakes within 200 km in the following 30 days; the largest was M5.6 on March 29, 1998. Most nearby activity right after a large earthquake is aftershocks, which usually become less frequent over days and weeks.
- 4.1192 km ENE of Levuka, Fiji28y ago · 25 km SE of this epicenter
- 4.7202 km ENE of Levuka, Fiji28y ago · 32 km SE of this epicenter
- 4.3187 km ENE of Levuka, Fiji28y ago · 17 km SE of this epicenter
- 4.0239 km E of Levuka, Fiji28y ago · 94 km SE of this epicenter
- 4.5210 km E of Levuka, Fiji28y ago · 53 km SE of this epicenter
- 4.5227 km E of Levuka, Fiji28y ago · 72 km SE of this epicenter
- 4.1180 km ESE of Labasa, Fiji28y ago · 64 km N of this epicenter
- 4.1194 km ENE of Levuka, Fiji28y ago · 17 km E of this epicenter
Regional history
Past M5+ earthquakes within 300 km
USGS lists 740 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 7.8Fiji regionJanuary 1, 1919 · 224 km SE of this epicenter
- 7.6178 km E of Levuka, FijiFebruary 22, 1909 · 72 km S of this epicenter
- 7.6144 km SSW of Leava, Wallis and FutunaMay 23, 1956 · 238 km N of this epicenter
- 7.6240 km E of Levuka, FijiMarch 9, 1994 · 90 km SE of this epicenter
- 7.4227 km E of Levuka, FijiAugust 21, 1910 · 65 km SE of this epicenter
- 7.2Fiji regionMarch 31, 1907 · 234 km E of this epicenter
- 7.1217 km E of Levuka, FijiJuly 8, 1916 · 72 km SE of this epicenter
- 7.0217 km ENE of Levuka, FijiAugust 25, 1963 · 44 km E of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 11 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 8 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1953M6.4
Fiji Islands
14 Sep 1953 · 298 km away
8 deathsLimited damage (under $1M)tsunami
- 1919M6.9
Rabi,Tunuloa Mission,Suvasavu
3 Oct 1919 · 160 km away · intensity VIII
Moderate damage ($1–5M)
- 1979M6.9
Fiji Islands
16 Nov 1979 · 129 km away
Moderate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 1932M6.4
Koro,Mudu,Suvasavu
8 Mar 1932 · 142 km away · intensity VII
Moderate damage ($1–5M)
- 1884
Macuata
Jan 1884 · 267 km away · intensity VII
Limited damage (under $1M)tsunami
- 1909M7.8
Fiji Islands
22 Feb 1909 · 51 km away
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.