Reviewed by USGSFiji22y ago
M4.0 earthquake 266 km E of Levuka, Fiji
Monday, September 13, 2004, 12:22:49 UTC · 18.268°S, 178.169°W
A magnitude 4.0 earthquake struck 266 km E of Levuka, Fiji on Monday, September 13, 2004, 12:22:49 UTC, at a depth of 568.4 km (deep).
- Magnitude
- 4.0
- Light · mb
- Depth
- 568 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
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
177 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
568 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 7 M2.5+ earthquakes within 50 km in the following 30 days; the largest was M4.5 on October 10, 2004. Most nearby activity right after a large earthquake is aftershocks, which usually become less frequent over days and weeks.
- 4.5254 km E of Levuka, Fiji22y ago · 20 km SW of this epicenter
- 4.3296 km E of Levuka, Fiji22y ago · 32 km E of this epicenter
- 4.1230 km E of Levuka, Fiji22y ago · 42 km NW of this epicenter
- 4.2264 km E of Levuka, Fiji22y ago · 23 km N of this epicenter
- 4.0Fiji region22y ago · 44 km NW of this epicenter
- 4.4255 km E of Levuka, Fiji22y ago · 31 km SW of this epicenter
- 3.9244 km E of Levuka, Fiji22y ago · 22 km W of this epicenter
Regional history
Past M5+ earthquakes within 300 km
USGS lists 1,135 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 · 289 km SE of this epicenter
- 7.8Fiji regionJanuary 1, 1919 · 117 km S of this epicenter
- 7.6178 km E of Levuka, FijiFebruary 22, 1909 · 88 km W of this epicenter
- 7.6240 km E of Levuka, FijiMarch 9, 1994 · 36 km NW of this epicenter
- 7.5262 km WNW of Haveluloto, TongaMay 21, 1962 · 216 km S of this epicenter
- 7.4227 km E of Levuka, FijiAugust 21, 1910 · 64 km NW of this epicenter
- 7.4Fiji regionSeptember 28, 1957 · 253 km S of this epicenter
- 7.4Fiji regionAugust 5, 1996 · 270 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 · 284 km away · intensity VIII
Moderate damage ($1–5M)
- 1979M6.9
Fiji Islands
16 Nov 1979 · 255 km away
Moderate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 1932M6.4
Koro,Mudu,Suvasavu
8 Mar 1932 · 220 km away · intensity VII
Moderate damage ($1–5M)
- 1909M7.8
Fiji Islands
22 Feb 1909 · 93 km away
- 1919M7.8
Fiji Islands
1 Jan 1919 · 117 km away
tsunami
- 1950M7.7
Tonga Islands
14 Dec 1950 · 266 km away · intensity VI
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.