Reviewed by USGS22y ago
M4.5 earthquake in Fiji region
Wednesday, December 1, 2004, 16:50:10 UTC · 19.974°S, 178.585°W
A magnitude 4.5 earthquake struck in Fiji region on Wednesday, December 1, 2004, 16:50:10 UTC, at a depth of 599.8 km (deep). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M4.7 on November 30, 2004.
- Magnitude
- 4.5
- 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
85 tons of TNT
That is about 1/178 of the Hiroshima bomb. A magnitude 5.0 releases about 6 times more energy.
Tectonic setting
229 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 10 M2.5+ earthquakes within 50 km in the following 30 days; the largest was M5.8 on December 24, 2004. Most nearby activity right after a large earthquake is aftershocks, which usually become less frequent over days and weeks.
- 4.7Fiji region22y ago · 37 km S of this epicenter
- 4.0Fiji region22y ago · 26 km S of this epicenter
- 4.5Fiji region22y ago · 41 km S of this epicenter
- 4.3Fiji region22y ago · 35 km S of this epicenter
- 4.2Fiji region22y ago · 31 km S of this epicenter
- 4.2Fiji region22y ago · 48 km SE of this epicenter
- 4.7Fiji region22y ago · 36 km S of this epicenter
- 5.8Fiji region22y ago · 44 km S of this epicenter
Regional history
Past M5+ earthquakes within 300 km
USGS lists 1,373 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 · 285 km E of this epicenter
- 7.8Fiji regionJanuary 1, 1919 · 90 km NE of this epicenter
- 7.7Fiji regionAugust 19, 2002 · 214 km SW of this epicenter
- 7.6178 km E of Levuka, FijiFebruary 22, 1909 · 203 km N of this epicenter
- 7.6240 km E of Levuka, FijiMarch 9, 1994 · 216 km N of this epicenter
- 7.5262 km WNW of Haveluloto, TongaMay 21, 1962 · 118 km E of this epicenter
- 7.4227 km E of Levuka, FijiAugust 21, 1910 · 240 km N of this epicenter
- 7.4Fiji regionSeptember 28, 1957 · 68 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:
- 1932M6.4
Koro,Mudu,Suvasavu
8 Mar 1932 · 264 km away · intensity VII
Moderate damage ($1–5M)
- 1937M8.1
Fiji Islands
16 Apr 1937 · 237 km away
- 1909M7.8
Fiji Islands
22 Feb 1909 · 224 km away
- 1919M7.8
Fiji Islands
1 Jan 1919 · 90 km away
tsunami
- 1950M7.7
Tonga Islands
14 Dec 1950 · 276 km away · intensity VI
- 2002M7.7
Fiji Islands
19 Aug 2002 · 214 km away
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.