QuakeScout
Magnitude5.2

Reviewed by USGS21y ago

M5.2 earthquake in Fiji region

Tuesday, May 24, 2005, 04:51:44 UTC · 18.494°S, 177.774°W

A magnitude 5.2 earthquake struck in Fiji region on Tuesday, May 24, 2005, 04:51:44 UTC, at a depth of 555.1 km (deep). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M5.6 on April 26, 2005.

Magnitude
5.2
Moderate · mwc
Depth
555 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

130 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

555 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 3 M2.5+ earthquakes within 75 km in the following 30 days; the largest was M4.5 on June 2, 2005. Most nearby activity right after a large earthquake is aftershocks, which usually become less frequent over days and weeks.

M3M4M51h6h1d3d7d14d30dMainshock M5.2
Time after the mainshock on a logarithmic scale (first hours stretched), magnitude on the vertical axis. M2.5+ events from USGS.
  1. 4.5287 km ESE of Levuka, Fiji21y ago · 33 km SW of this epicenter
  2. 4.2Fiji region21y ago · 6 km SW of this epicenter
  3. 4.3Fiji region21y ago · 71 km SE of this epicenter

Regional history

Past M5+ earthquakes within 300 km

USGS lists 1,240 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 · 241 km SE of this epicenter
  2. 7.8Fiji regionJanuary 1, 1919 · 97 km S of this epicenter
  3. 7.6178 km E of Levuka, FijiFebruary 22, 1909 · 134 km W of this epicenter
  4. 7.6240 km E of Levuka, FijiMarch 9, 1994 · 84 km NW of this epicenter
  5. 7.5262 km WNW of Haveluloto, TongaMay 21, 1962 · 180 km S of this epicenter
  6. 7.4227 km E of Levuka, FijiAugust 21, 1910 · 111 km NW of this epicenter
  7. 7.4Fiji regionSeptember 28, 1957 · 235 km S of this epicenter
  8. 7.4Fiji regionAugust 5, 1996 · 251 km S of this epicenter

History · NOAA

Deadliest earthquakes in this area

NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 6 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700. The most severe:

  1. 1932M6.4

    Koro,Mudu,Suvasavu

    8 Mar 1932 · 263 km away · intensity VII

    Moderate damage ($1–5M)

  2. 1909M7.8

    Fiji Islands

    22 Feb 1909 · 141 km away

  3. 1919M7.8

    Fiji Islands

    1 Jan 1919 · 97 km away

    tsunami

  4. 1950M7.7

    Tonga Islands

    14 Dec 1950 · 217 km away · intensity VI

  5. 1994M7.6

    Fiji Islands

    9 Mar 1994 · 84 km away

  6. 1957M7.5

    Fiji Islands

    28 Sep 1957 · 225 km away

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

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