Reviewed by USGSFiji17y ago
M4.5 earthquake 85 km ENE of Ba, Fiji
Monday, November 9, 2009, 13:55:22 UTC · 17.212°S, 178.402°E
A magnitude 4.5 earthquake struck 85 km ENE of Ba, Fiji on Monday, November 9, 2009, 13:55:22 UTC, at a depth of 587.9 km (deep). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M4.9 on November 9, 2009.
- Magnitude
- 4.5
- Light · mb
- Depth
- 588 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 earthquake
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
122 km
from the nearest mapped plate boundary, between the Balmoral Reef and Australian plates. Earthquakes this far from a boundary happen on faults inside a plate, often less frequently but sometimes strongly.
Depth: deep
588 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 has not published any M2.5+ earthquake within 50 km in the 30 days after this event.
Regional history
Past M5+ earthquakes within 300 km
USGS lists 295 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 7.6178 km E of Levuka, FijiFebruary 22, 1909 · 296 km E of this epicenter
- 7.377 km ENE of Ba, FijiNovember 9, 2009 · 8 km W of this epicenter
- 7.2178 km ENE of Levuka, FijiMarch 29, 1998 · 269 km E of this epicenter
- 6.9130 km ENE of Labasa, FijiDecember 26, 1949 · 263 km NE of this epicenter
- 6.978 km ESE of Labasa, FijiNovember 16, 1979 · 179 km E of this epicenter
- 6.9195 km E of Levuka, FijiApril 16, 1993 · 297 km E of this epicenter
- 6.7179 km ENE of Levuka, FijiJune 21, 1928 · 257 km E of this epicenter
- 6.7149 km ENE of Labasa, FijiJanuary 12, 1998 · 281 km NE of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 9 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 48 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1840
Kadavu
1840 · 203 km away · intensity VIII
40 deathsLimited damage (under $1M)
- 1953M6.4
Fiji Islands
14 Sep 1953 · 123 km away
8 deathsLimited damage (under $1M)tsunami
- 1919M6.9
Rabi,Tunuloa Mission,Suvasavu
3 Oct 1919 · 193 km away · intensity VIII
Moderate damage ($1–5M)
- 1979M6.9
Fiji Islands
16 Nov 1979 · 179 km away
Moderate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 1932M6.4
Koro,Mudu,Suvasavu
8 Mar 1932 · 180 km away · intensity VII
Moderate damage ($1–5M)
- 1884
Macuata
Jan 1884 · 149 km away · intensity VII
Limited damage (under $1M)tsunami
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.