Reviewed by USGSFiji28y ago
M4.6 earthquake 276 km E of Levuka, Fiji
Sunday, September 6, 1998, 21:33:41 UTC · 18.058°S, 178.075°W
A magnitude 4.6 earthquake struck 276 km E of Levuka, Fiji on Sunday, September 6, 1998, 21:33:41 UTC, at a depth of 600.0 km (deep). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M4.6 on August 27, 1998.
- Magnitude
- 4.6
- Light · mb
- Depth
- 600 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: 50 km aftershock search area
In context
How big was it, and why here?
Energy released
120 tons of TNT
That is about 1/126 of the Hiroshima bomb. A magnitude 5.0 releases about 4 times more energy.
Tectonic setting
170 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
600 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 lists 3 M2.5+ earthquakes within 50 km in the following 30 days; the largest was M4.4 on September 26, 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 967 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 7.8159 km W of Pangai, TongaDecember 14, 1950 · 295 km SE of this epicenter
- 7.8Fiji regionJanuary 1, 1919 · 140 km S of this epicenter
- 7.6178 km E of Levuka, FijiFebruary 22, 1909 · 99 km W of this epicenter
- 7.6240 km E of Levuka, FijiMarch 9, 1994 · 36 km W of this epicenter
- 7.5262 km WNW of Haveluloto, TongaMay 21, 1962 · 235 km S of this epicenter
- 7.4227 km E of Levuka, FijiAugust 21, 1910 · 57 km NW of this epicenter
- 7.4Fiji regionSeptember 28, 1957 · 278 km S of this epicenter
- 7.4Fiji regionAugust 5, 1996 · 294 km S of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 8 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700. The most severe:
- 1919M6.9
Rabi,Tunuloa Mission,Suvasavu
3 Oct 1919 · 275 km away · intensity VIII
Moderate damage ($1–5M)
- 1979M6.9
Fiji Islands
16 Nov 1979 · 249 km away
Moderate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 1932M6.4
Koro,Mudu,Suvasavu
8 Mar 1932 · 230 km away · intensity VII
Moderate damage ($1–5M)
- 1909M7.8
Fiji Islands
22 Feb 1909 · 98 km away
- 1919M7.8
Fiji Islands
1 Jan 1919 · 140 km away
tsunami
- 1950M7.7
Tonga Islands
14 Dec 1950 · 271 km away · intensity VI
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.