QuakeScout
Magnitude4.0

Reviewed by USGSFiji28y ago

M4.0 earthquake 200 km ESE of Labasa, Fiji

Monday, June 8, 1998, 20:21:49 UTC · 16.977°S, 178.845°W

A magnitude 4.0 earthquake struck 200 km ESE of Labasa, Fiji on Monday, June 8, 1998, 20:21:49 UTC, at a depth of 400.0 km (deep).

Magnitude
4.0
Light · mb
Depth
400 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 earthquake

In context

How big was it, and why here?

Energy released

15 tons of TNT

That is about 1/998 of the Hiroshima bomb. A magnitude 5.0 releases about 32 times more energy.

Tectonic setting

152 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

400 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 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 710 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:

  1. 7.8Fiji regionJanuary 1, 1919 · 273 km S of this epicenter
  2. 7.6178 km E of Levuka, FijiFebruary 22, 1909 · 136 km S of this epicenter
  3. 7.6144 km SSW of Leava, Wallis and FutunaMay 23, 1956 · 172 km N of this epicenter
  4. 7.6240 km E of Levuka, FijiMarch 9, 1994 · 127 km S of this epicenter
  5. 7.4227 km E of Levuka, FijiAugust 21, 1910 · 98 km S of this epicenter
  6. 7.2Fiji regionMarch 31, 1907 · 236 km SE of this epicenter
  7. 7.2178 km ENE of Levuka, FijiMarch 29, 1998 · 69 km S of this epicenter
  8. 7.1217 km E of Levuka, FijiJuly 8, 1916 · 120 km S of this epicenter

History · NOAA

Deadliest earthquakes in this area

NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 10 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 5 recorded deaths. The most severe:

  1. 1993M6.4

    Futuna Island

    12 Mar 1993 · 295 km away

    5 deathsLimited damage (under $1M)tsunami

  2. 1919M6.9

    Rabi,Tunuloa Mission,Suvasavu

    3 Oct 1919 · 139 km away · intensity VIII

    Moderate damage ($1–5M)

  3. 1979M6.9

    Fiji Islands

    16 Nov 1979 · 124 km away

    Moderate damage ($1–5M)tsunami

  4. 1932M6.4

    Koro,Mudu,Suvasavu

    8 Mar 1932 · 201 km away · intensity VII

    Moderate damage ($1–5M)

  5. 1884

    Macuata

    Jan 1884 · 254 km away · intensity VII

    Limited damage (under $1M)tsunami

  6. 1909M7.8

    Fiji Islands

    22 Feb 1909 · 115 km away

NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.

Nearby trackers

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