Reviewed by USGSFiji21y ago
M3.9 earthquake 243 km E of Levuka, Fiji
Saturday, July 9, 2005, 17:23:52 UTC · 18.135°S, 178.382°W
A magnitude 3.9 earthquake struck 243 km E of Levuka, Fiji on Saturday, July 9, 2005, 17:23:52 UTC, at a depth of 467.3 km (deep).
- Magnitude
- 3.9
- Minor · mb
- Depth
- 467 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
203 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
467 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 M5.2 on July 20, 2005. Most nearby activity right after a large earthquake is aftershocks, which usually become less frequent over days and weeks.
- 4.5223 km E of Levuka, Fiji21y ago · 41 km NW of this epicenter
- 4.4288 km E of Levuka, Fiji21y ago · 48 km E of this epicenter
- 4.3201 km E of Levuka, Fiji21y ago · 46 km W of this epicenter
- 4.4254 km E of Levuka, Fiji21y ago · 29 km N of this epicenter
- 3.6237 km E of Levuka, Fiji21y ago · 48 km N of this epicenter
- 5.2231 km E of Levuka, Fiji21y ago · 19 km NW of this epicenter
- 4.4232 km E of Levuka, Fiji21y ago · 26 km NW of this epicenter
Regional history
Past M5+ earthquakes within 300 km
USGS lists 1,075 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 7.8Fiji regionJanuary 1, 1919 · 135 km S of this epicenter
- 7.6178 km E of Levuka, FijiFebruary 22, 1909 · 65 km W of this epicenter
- 7.6240 km E of Levuka, FijiMarch 9, 1994 · 11 km N of this epicenter
- 7.5262 km WNW of Haveluloto, TongaMay 21, 1962 · 238 km SE of this epicenter
- 7.4227 km E of Levuka, FijiAugust 21, 1910 · 40 km NW of this epicenter
- 7.4Fiji regionSeptember 28, 1957 · 268 km S of this epicenter
- 7.4Fiji regionAugust 5, 1996 · 284 km S of this epicenter
- 7.3227 km WNW of Haveluloto, TongaApril 16, 1937 · 296 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 · 258 km away · intensity VIII
Moderate damage ($1–5M)
- 1979M6.9
Fiji Islands
16 Nov 1979 · 229 km away
Moderate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 1932M6.4
Koro,Mudu,Suvasavu
8 Mar 1932 · 197 km away · intensity VII
Moderate damage ($1–5M)
- 1909M7.8
Fiji Islands
22 Feb 1909 · 67 km away
- 1919M7.8
Fiji Islands
1 Jan 1919 · 135 km away
tsunami
- 1950M7.7
Tonga Islands
14 Dec 1950 · 293 km away · intensity VI
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.