Reviewed by USGSFiji21y ago
M3.9 earthquake 279 km E of Levuka, Fiji
Tuesday, March 29, 2005, 03:50:20 UTC · 17.847°S, 178.055°W
A magnitude 3.9 earthquake struck 279 km E of Levuka, Fiji on Tuesday, March 29, 2005, 03:50:20 UTC, at a depth of 402.2 km (deep).
- Magnitude
- 3.9
- Minor · mb
- Depth
- 402 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
11 tons of TNT
That is about 1/1,410 of the Hiroshima bomb. A magnitude 5.0 releases about 45 times more energy.
Tectonic setting
158 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
402 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 4 M2.5+ earthquakes within 50 km in the following 30 days; the largest was M4.3 on April 8, 2005. 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 1,059 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 7.8Fiji regionJanuary 1, 1919 · 164 km S of this epicenter
- 7.6178 km E of Levuka, FijiFebruary 22, 1909 · 107 km W of this epicenter
- 7.6144 km SSW of Leava, Wallis and FutunaMay 23, 1956 · 280 km N of this epicenter
- 7.6240 km E of Levuka, FijiMarch 9, 1994 · 43 km SW of this epicenter
- 7.5262 km WNW of Haveluloto, TongaMay 21, 1962 · 257 km S of this epicenter
- 7.4227 km E of Levuka, FijiAugust 21, 1910 · 52 km W of this epicenter
- 7.2241 km WNW of Houma, TongaAugust 21, 1911 · 254 km S of this epicenter
- 7.2280 km WNW of Houma, TongaDecember 14, 1910 · 278 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 · 262 km away · intensity VIII
Moderate damage ($1–5M)
- 1979M6.9
Fiji Islands
16 Nov 1979 · 238 km away
Moderate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 1932M6.4
Koro,Mudu,Suvasavu
8 Mar 1932 · 235 km away · intensity VII
Moderate damage ($1–5M)
- 1909M7.8
Fiji Islands
22 Feb 1909 · 101 km away
- 1919M7.8
Fiji Islands
1 Jan 1919 · 164 km away
tsunami
- 1950M7.7
Tonga Islands
14 Dec 1950 · 284 km away · intensity VI
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.