In the South Pacific Ocean 281 kilometer from Labasa, Fiji, a Magnitude 4.5 aftershock occurred just before midnight of Thursday June 27th, 2024.
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Earthquake Summary
This earthquake hit under water in the South Pacific Ocean, 194 kilometers (120 mi) off the coast of Fiji, 281 kilometer south-east of Labasa in Northern. The center of this earthquake had a very deep depth of 601 km. Deep earthquakes usually have less impact than shallower earthquakes of similar strenght.
| Date and Time: | Jun 27, 2024 23:31 (Fiji Time) - Jun 27, 2024 11:31 Universal Time. |
|---|---|
| Location: | 281 km SE of Labasa, Northern, Fiji. Coordinates 17°53'48"S 178°28'58"W. |
| Map: |  Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps. |
| Magnitude: | MAG 4.5 Detected by 41 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.089 . |
| Depth: | 601 km (374 mi) A very deep depth. |
| Tsunami Risk: | Tsunami very unlikely Earthquakes under MAG-6.5 at depths deeper than 100km are very unlikely to cause tsunami's. Always stay cautious - More info here. |
Nearby towns and cities
This earthquake may have been felt in Fiji . Labasa in Northern, Fiji is the nearest significant place from the epicenter. The earthquake occurred 281 kilometer (175 mi) south-east of Labasa.
Overview of nearby places
| Distance | Place |
|---|---|
| 281 km (175 mi) NW from epicenter |
Labasa Northern, Fiji. |
This is likely an aftershock
This earthquake was an aftershock. A larger mag. 4.8 earthquake struck 50 km (31 mi) west-northwest in advance of this 4.5 earthquake around 2 days earlier.
Overview of foreshocks and aftershocks
| Classification | Magnitude | When | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| Main Shock | M 4.8 |
Jun 26, 2024 01:25 (Fiji Time) | - |
| Aftershock This Earthquake |
M 4.5 |
2 days later Jun 27, 2024 23:31 (Fiji Time) | 50 km (31 mi) ESE from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 4.5 |
4 days later Jun 29, 2024 20:44 (Fiji Time) | 36 km (22 mi) ESE from Main Shock. |
More earthquakes coming?
Aftershocks are usually at least 1 order of magnitude less strong than main shocks. The more time passes, the smaller the chance and likely strength of any potential aftershocks.
It's always adviced to be cautious of the risk of a larger shock following any significant earthquake, however this risk is fairly small. There is a roughly 94 percent change that no larger main shock will follow in the days following this earthquake.
Read: How to Stay Safe during an Earthquake (cdc.gov).Earthquakes like this happen often in the region
Earthquakes of this strength are very common in the region. In total, 1358 earthquakes with a magnitude of 4.5 or higher have been registered within 300km (186 mi) of this epicenter in the past 10 years. This comes down to an average of once every 3 days.
Tsunami very unlikely
For a serious tsunami to occur, earthquakes usually need to have a magnitude of at least 6.5 and occur at a shallow depth of maximum 100km. Neither are the case with this earthquake. However always stay cautious and monitor advice from local authorities.
Tsunami Risk Factors
| Factor | Under Sea? | MAG-6.5 or stronger? | Shallow depth? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Explanation | Almost all tsunami's are caused by earthquakes with their epicenter under sea or very near the sea. However stay cautious in coastal areas as earthquakes on land may cause landslides into sea, potentially still causing a local tsunami. | Under MAG 6.5: Very unlikely to cause a tsunami. MAG 6.5 to 7.5: Destructive tsunami's do occur, but are uncommon. Likely to observe small sea level changes. MAG 7.6+: Earthquakes with these magnitudes might produce destructive tsunami's. |
Most destructive tsunami's are caused by shallow earthquakes with a depth between 0 and 100km under the surface of the earth. Deeper tsunami's are unlikely to displace to ocean floor. |
| This Earthquake | This earthquake appears to have struck under the sea. | Not this earthquake. This earthquake had a magnitude of 4.5. Earthquakes of this strength are unlikely to trigger a tsunami. |
Not this earthquake. This earthquake occurred at a depth of 601 km (374 mi). Earthquakes this deep in the earth are unlikely to trigger a tsunami. |
Sources
Last updated 30/06/24 10:58 (). As more information on this earthquake becomes available this article will be updated. This article is automatically composed based on data originating from multiple sources.
- US Geographic Society (USGS): Earthquake us6000n8ln
- European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20240627_0000131
- Geonames.org: World Cities Database
- Google Maps: Static API
- Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database
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