QuakeScout
Magnitude3.7

Reviewed by USGSFiji22y ago

M3.7 earthquake 298 km E of Levuka, Fiji

Friday, November 26, 2004, 05:43:50 UTC · 18.340°S, 177.874°W

A magnitude 3.7 earthquake struck 298 km E of Levuka, Fiji on Friday, November 26, 2004, 05:43:50 UTC, at a depth of 584.5 km (deep).

Magnitude
3.7
Minor · mb
Depth
585 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

5 tons of TNT

That is about 1/2,814 of the Hiroshima bomb. A magnitude 5.0 releases about 89 times more energy.

Tectonic setting

145 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

585 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 M6.1 on December 6, 2004. Most nearby activity right after a large earthquake is aftershocks, which usually become less frequent over days and weeks.

M3M4M5M61h6h1d3d7d14d30dMainshock M3.7
Time after the mainshock on a logarithmic scale (first hours stretched), magnitude on the vertical axis. M2.5+ events from USGS.
  1. 4.1269 km E of Levuka, Fiji22y ago · 30 km W of this epicenter
  2. 4.0253 km E of Levuka, Fiji22y ago · 46 km W of this epicenter
  3. 4.3294 km ESE of Levuka, Fiji22y ago · 39 km S of this epicenter
  4. 6.1Fiji region22y ago · 26 km SW of this epicenter
  5. 4.0Fiji region22y ago · 35 km SE of this epicenter
  6. 4.2258 km E of Levuka, Fiji22y ago · 50 km NW of this epicenter
  7. 3.7270 km E of Levuka, Fiji22y ago · 34 km NW of this epicenter

Regional history

Past M5+ earthquakes within 300 km

USGS lists 1,205 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:

  1. 7.8159 km W of Pangai, TongaDecember 14, 1950 · 259 km SE of this epicenter
  2. 7.8Fiji regionJanuary 1, 1919 · 111 km S of this epicenter
  3. 7.6178 km E of Levuka, FijiFebruary 22, 1909 · 120 km W of this epicenter
  4. 7.6240 km E of Levuka, FijiMarch 9, 1994 · 66 km NW of this epicenter
  5. 7.5262 km WNW of Haveluloto, TongaMay 21, 1962 · 199 km S of this epicenter
  6. 7.4227 km E of Levuka, FijiAugust 21, 1910 · 92 km NW of this epicenter
  7. 7.4Fiji regionSeptember 28, 1957 · 250 km S of this epicenter
  8. 7.4Fiji regionAugust 5, 1996 · 265 km S of this epicenter

History · NOAA

Deadliest earthquakes in this area

NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 7 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700. The most severe:

  1. 1979M6.9

    Fiji Islands

    16 Nov 1979 · 284 km away

    Moderate damage ($1–5M)tsunami

  2. 1932M6.4

    Koro,Mudu,Suvasavu

    8 Mar 1932 · 251 km away · intensity VII

    Moderate damage ($1–5M)

  3. 1909M7.8

    Fiji Islands

    22 Feb 1909 · 125 km away

  4. 1919M7.8

    Fiji Islands

    1 Jan 1919 · 111 km away

    tsunami

  5. 1950M7.7

    Tonga Islands

    14 Dec 1950 · 236 km away · intensity VI

  6. 1994M7.6

    Fiji Islands

    9 Mar 1994 · 66 km away

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

Nearby trackers

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