M4.6 Earthquake 135 km NNE of Ba, Fiji — May 14, 2024

On May 14, 2024 at 20:03 UTC, a magnitude 4.6 shallow crustal earthquake struck 135 km NNE of Ba, Fiji, at a depth of 10.0 km and coordinates -16.3759°, 178.0824°. This earthquake was detected by 20 seismic stations with excellent location accuracy and was assigned a USGS significance rating of 326, placing it among routine seismic activity.

Physical scale: An earthquake of magnitude 4.6 releases seismic energy equivalent to roughly 120 metric tons of TNT. Empirical fault-scaling laws (Wells & Coppersmith, 1994) estimate the subsurface rupture length at approximately 899 m — a useful intuition for the size of the slip patch on the fault.

This earthquake is part of an ongoing aftershock sequence following the magnitude 5.0 mainshock that occurred 19 days ago 139 km NNE of Ba, Fiji. Since the mainshock, the USGS has recorded 0 aftershocks in this area. Aftershock activity is expected to continue for days to weeks as stresses on surrounding faults redistribute.

The epicenter is located in Fiji, a region characterized by the Fiji Fracture Zone at the junction of the Pacific and Australian plates, with deep-focus seismicity from the subducted slab. View all earthquakes in Fiji.

Learn more: Magnitude scale · Aftershock sequences