On Sunday Morning a Significant M5.9 Earthquake struck in the South Pacific Ocean 323km from Suva (Fiji).

Written by Earthquakelist.org on November 23rd, 2024. Last updated January 20th, 2025.

In the South Pacific Ocean 323 kilometer from Suva, Fiji, a significant M5.9 earthquake occurred in the morning of Sunday November 24th, 2024. Around 3 thousand people have been exposed to shaking.

Earthquake Summary

This earthquake hit under water in the South Pacific Ocean, 188 kilometers (117 mi) off the coast of Fiji, 323 kilometer east of Suva in Central. The center of this earthquake had a very deep depth of 588 km. Deep earthquakes usually have less impact than shallower earthquakes of similar strenght.

Date and Time:	Nov 24, 2024 08:04 (Fiji Time) - Nov 23, 2024 19:04 Universal Time.
Location:	323 km east of Suva, Central, Fiji. Coordinates 17°51'1"S 178°30'55"W.
Map:	Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps.
Magnitude:	MAG 5.9 Detected by 31 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.056 .
Depth:	588 km (365 mi) A very deep depth.
Max. Intensity:	II Weak On the Modified Mercalli Scale.
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.

Minimal impact predicted

Based on scientific estimates by the US Geographic Survey (USGS), the risk of high fatalities for this earthquake is classified at level GREEN (low). They expect an 65% likelyhood of between 0 and 1 fatalities, and a 96% chance that the number of fatalities falls no higher than 10.

The USGS classifies the economic impact of this earthquake at level GREEN (low). They expect an 65% likelyhood of between 0 and 1 million US Dollars in economic damage and impact, and a 96% chance that the economic impact of this earthquake falls no higher than 10 million USD.

Roughly 3 thousand people exposed to shaking

This earthquake may have been felt by around 3 thousand people. That is the expected population size of the area exposed to a level of shaking of II or higher on the Modified Mercalli scale according to the USGS.

The highest earthquake impact level for this earthquake is II, which corresponds with very weak shaking and no damage. Roughly 3,230 people are expected to be exposed to this level. Intensity level I was experienced by the majority of people (around 40 thousand). In their region, not noticeable and no damage can be expected. All exposure to shaking was within the borders of Fiji .

People	MMI Level	Shaking	Damage
38,430	I	Not noticable	None
3,230	II	Very weak	None
0	III	Weak	Probably none
0	IV	Light	Likely none
0	V	Moderate	Very light
0	VI	Strong	Light
0	VII	Very Strong	Moderate
0	VIII	Severe	Moderate to heavy
0	IX	Violent	Heavy
0	X	Extreme	Very heavy

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 275 kilometer (171 mi) south-east of Labasa.

Overview of nearby places

Cities and Towns around the epicenter of this earthquake.
Distance	Place
275 km (171 mi) NW from epicenter	Labasa Northern, Fiji.
323 km (201 mi) W from epicenter	Suva Central, Fiji.

Earthquake Intensity Map

The graph below overlays a map of the region around the epicenter with earthquake intensity data provided by the US Geographic Survey. The highest intensity level detected for this earthquake is II.

I Not felt

II Weak

III Weak

IV Light

V Moderate

VI Strong

VII Very Strong

VIII Severe

IX Violent

X Extreme

Earthquake Intensity Map based on Shakemap Data provided by USGS.

4 Aftershocks detected

After this earthquake struck, 4 smaller aftershocks occurred. A 4.5 magnitude earthquake hit 2 days later 70 km (43 mi) north-northwest of this earthquake.

Before this earthquake struck, 1 smaller foreshock occurred. Nearby this earthquake a foreshock struck 13 hrs earlier. It measured a magnitude of 4.3

Overview of foreshocks and aftershocks

Detected MAG2.5+ earthquakes within within 100km (62 mi), that occurred in the three days before and after the main shock.
Classification	Magnitude	When	Where
Foreshock	M 4.3	13 hrs earlier Nov 23, 2024 18:42 (Fiji Time)	10 km (6 mi) W from Main Shock.
Main Shock This Earthquake	M 5.9	Nov 24, 2024 08:04 (Fiji Time)	-
Aftershock	M 4.3	31 mins later Nov 24, 2024 08:35 (Fiji Time)	20 km (12 mi) SE from Main Shock.
Aftershock	M 4.2	16 hrs later Nov 24, 2024 23:39 (Fiji Time)	71 km (44 mi) NNW from Main Shock.
Aftershock	M 4.5	2 days later Nov 26, 2024 01:13 (Fiji Time)	70 km (43 mi) NNW from Main Shock.
Aftershock	M 4.1	3 days later Nov 26, 2024 23:07 (Fiji Time)	93 km (58 mi) SE 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. This is the strongest earthquake to hit since November 6th, 2024, when a 5.9 magnitude earthquake hit 71 km (44 mi) further east-southeast. An even stronger magnitude 8.2 earthquake struck on August 19th, 2018.

In total, 37 earthquakes with a magnitude of 5.9 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 months.

Tsunami very unlikely

DISCLAIMER: We strongly suggest to closely monitor advice from local authorities with regards to tsunami risks. Our analysis is based on automatically collected data from external sources, and these might contain mistakes. In addition, earthquakes can cause landslides that may lead to a tsunami, or be a followed by another, potentially stonger, earthquake.

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 5.9. Earthquakes of this strength are unlikely to trigger a tsunami.	Not this earthquake. This earthquake occurred at a depth of 588 km (365 mi). Earthquakes this deep in the earth are unlikely to trigger a tsunami.

Sources

Last updated 20/01/25 05:28 (). This article is automatically generated based on available data. We keep checking multiple sources for additional information. This article gets updated as new details on this earthquake become available.