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List of earthquakes in Fiji

Map
Map of earthquakes in Fiji 1900– (map data)

This is a list of earthquakes in Fiji which caused damage, casualties and/or a tsunami. As indicated below, magnitude is measured on the moment magnitude scale (Mw) or the surface wave magnitude scale (Ms) for older earthquakes. The present list is not exhaustive, and furthermore reliable and precise magnitude data is scarce for earthquakes that occurred before the development of modern measuring instruments.

Background

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Fiji lies in a complex tectonic setting along the boundary between the Australian plate and the Pacific plate. Southwards from Fiji, the Pacific plate is subducting beneath the Australian plate along the Tonga Trench forming the Tonga Ridge island arc system and the Lau Basin back-arc basin. To the southwest of Fiji the Australian plate is subducting beneath the Pacific plate forming the Vanuatu Ridge island arc system and the North Fiji back-arc basin.[1] Hence, the region has undergone a complex process of plate convergence, subduction, and arc volcanism from the Middle Eocene to the Early Pliocene.[2] Many of the larger islands, such as Viti Levu, are of volcanic origin.[3] Volcanism still exists, and there are Holocene volcanoes in Fiji.[4] The Fiji Platform lies in a zone bordered with active extension fault lines around which most of the shallow earthquakes were centered. These fault lines are the Fiji fracture zone (FFZ) to the north, the 176° Extension Zone (176°E EZ) to the west, and the Hunter fracture zone (HFZ) to the east.[2]

The area between Fiji and New Zealand lies within arguably the most active deep-focus faulting zone on the planet, caused by the Pacific Plate subducting under the Australian Plate, Tonga Plate, and Kermadec Plate.[5] This specific region experiences extremely frequent seismic activity, with earthquakes exceeding Mw  4.0 occurring almost daily.[6] Earthquakes as large as Mw 8.2 are known to occur in this faulting zone. As a result, almost all of Fiji's earthquakes occur at depths exceeding 400 km (250 mi),[6] and of the 210 ≥Mw  6.0 earthquakes that have been recorded near Fiji, only 66 struck less than 30 km (19 mi) beneath the surface, and only 15 are thought to have caused particularly strong shaking, according to the United States Geological Survey.[7]

History

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A notable earthquake in Fiji's history was one that occurred off the coast of Suva in 1953, as well as the 1979 Taveuni earthquake. The Suva earthquake of 1953 measured Ms  6.8, and was located off the southeastern coast of Viti Levu. The earthquake collapsed a coral reef platform and caused a tsunami. The earthquake, combined with the tsunami, took the lives of eight people and caused severe structural damage in the capital. The latter earthquake occurred in 1979 measuring Ms  6.9. While this event did not claim any lives, it caused major damage to buildings and triggered a major landslide on the island of Qamea.[8]

List

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Date Region Mag. MMI Deaths Injuries Comments Ref(s)
2019-10-20 Kadavu 5.7 Mww  V Minor damage, landslides [9][10]
2018-09-06 Viti Levu 7.9 Mww  IV
2018-08-19 Viti Levu 8.2 Mww  V Small tsunami
2017-01-03 Southwest of Kadavu 6.9 Mww  IV Small tsunami [11][12]
1979-11-16 Taveuni 6.9 Ms Moderate damage [12]
1953-09-14 Suva 6.8 Ms VIII 8 Tsunami
1932-03-08 Lomaiviti 6.4 Mw VII Moderate damage, tsunami [13][12]
1919-10-03 Qamea 6.9 Ms VIII Moderate damage at Rabi Island [12][14]
1919-01-01 Lau 7.8 Mw Minor tsunami hit Japan [12][15]
January 1884 Macuata VII Limited damage, tsunami, magnitude unknown [12]
1840-1850 Kadavu VIII 40 Deaths from landslide, magnitude unknown [12]
Note: The inclusion criteria for adding events are based on WikiProject Earthquakes' notability guideline that was developed for stand alone articles. The principles described also apply to lists. In summary, only damaging, injurious, or deadly events should be recorded.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Rahiman, T.I.H.; Pettinga J.R. & Watts P. (2007). "The source mechanism and numerical modelling of the 1953 Suva tsunami, Fiji". Marine Geology. 237 (1–2): 55–70. Bibcode:2007MGeol.237...55R. doi:10.1016/j.margeo.2006.10.036.
  2. ^ a b Greenbaum, D.; Bowker, M. R; Dau, I; Drospy, H; Greally, K. B; McDonald A. J. W; Marsh, S. H; Northmore, K. J; O'Connor, E. A; Prasad, R. S & Tragheim, D. G. (1995). "Landslide hazards in Fiji" (PDF). Technical Report WC/95/28 Rapid methods of landslide hazard mapping : Fiji case study. British Geological Survey. Retrieved 23 March 2011.
  3. ^ Government of Fiji (2009). "Government of Fiji Country Report on Pacific Adaptation to Climate Change (PACC) Inception Meeting Samoa, from 29th June – 3rd July 2009" (PDF). p. 2. Retrieved 23 March 2011.
  4. ^ "Volcanoes of New Zealand to Fiji: Fiji Islands". Global Volcanism Program. Retrieved 23 March 2011.
  5. ^ "M 4.2 - Vanuatu region - Tectonic Summary". United States Geological Survey. 8 April 2004.
  6. ^ a b "USGS earthquake catalog". United States Geological Survey.
  7. ^ "USGS earthquake catalog". United States Geological Survey.
  8. ^ Paterson, A. W.; Williams, R. L. (1980-06-30). "The Taveuni earthquake Fiji on 17 November 1979". Bulletin of the New Zealand Society for Earthquake Engineering. 13 (2): 194–201. doi:10.5459/bnzsee.13.2.194-201. ISSN 2324-1543.
  9. ^ "M 5.7 - 94 km SSW of Suva, Fiji". earthquake.usgs.gov. Retrieved 2022-05-03.
  10. ^ "Nach Erdbeben: Erdrutsche auf Fidschi-Insel – Warnung vor vulkanischer Aktivität" [After earthquake: landslides on Fiji island – warning of volcanic activity] (in German). 22 October 2019.
  11. ^ ANSS. "M 6.9 - 225 km SW of Nadi, Fiji 2017". Comprehensive Catalog. U.S. Geological Survey.
  12. ^ a b c d e f g NGDC 1972
  13. ^ ANSS. "M 6.4 - 48 km ESE of Levuka, Fiji 1932". Comprehensive Catalog. U.S. Geological Survey.
  14. ^ ANSS. "M 6.5 - 102 km ESE of Labasa, Fiji 1919". Comprehensive Catalog. U.S. Geological Survey.
  15. ^ ANSS. "M 7.8 - Fiji region 1919". Comprehensive Catalog. U.S. Geological Survey.

Sources