Reviewed by USGS22y ago
M5.2 earthquake in Fiji region
Wednesday, November 17, 2004, 21:04:24 UTC · 20.062°S, 178.668°W
A magnitude 5.2 earthquake struck in Fiji region on Wednesday, November 17, 2004, 21:04:24 UTC, at a depth of 627.5 km (deep). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M5.6 on November 10, 2004.
- Magnitude
- 5.2
- Moderate · mb
- Depth
- 628 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: 75 km aftershock search area
In context
How big was it, and why here?
Energy released
951 tons of TNT
That is about 1/16 of the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 2 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
240 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
628 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 75 km
USGS lists 11 M2.5+ earthquakes within 75 km in the following 30 days; the largest was M6.6 on November 17, 2004. Most nearby activity right after a large earthquake is aftershocks, which usually become less frequent over days and weeks.
- 4.5Fiji region22y ago · 13 km NE of this epicenter
- 4.7Fiji region22y ago · 69 km E of this epicenter
- 3.8Fiji region22y ago · 69 km S of this epicenter
- 4.3Fiji region22y ago · 73 km E of this epicenter
- 4.3Fiji region22y ago · 48 km SE of this epicenter
- 4.3Fiji region22y ago · 25 km SW of this epicenter
- 4.6Fiji region22y ago · 9 km NE of this epicenter
- 4.4Fiji region22y ago · 18 km NE of this epicenter
Regional history
Past M5+ earthquakes within 300 km
USGS lists 1,351 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 E of this epicenter
- 7.8Fiji regionJanuary 1, 1919 · 103 km NE of this epicenter
- 7.8192 km WSW of Haveluloto, TongaOctober 14, 1997 · 300 km SE of this epicenter
- 7.7Fiji regionAugust 19, 2002 · 202 km SW of this epicenter
- 7.6178 km E of Levuka, FijiFebruary 22, 1909 · 211 km N of this epicenter
- 7.6240 km E of Levuka, FijiMarch 9, 1994 · 227 km N of this epicenter
- 7.5262 km WNW of Haveluloto, TongaMay 21, 1962 · 126 km E of this epicenter
- 7.4227 km E of Levuka, FijiAugust 21, 1910 · 250 km N of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 9 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700. The most severe:
- 1932M6.4
Koro,Mudu,Suvasavu
8 Mar 1932 · 265 km away · intensity VII
Moderate damage ($1–5M)
- 1937M8.1
Fiji Islands
16 Apr 1937 · 236 km away
- 1909M7.8
Fiji Islands
22 Feb 1909 · 232 km away
- 1919M7.8
Fiji Islands
1 Jan 1919 · 103 km away
tsunami
- 1950M7.7
Tonga Islands
14 Dec 1950 · 286 km away · intensity VI
- 1997M7.7
Tonga Islands
14 Oct 1997 · 300 km away
tsunami
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.