M4.9 Earthquake 217 km ENE of Levuka, Fiji — February 9, 2024

On February 9, 2024 at 09:18 UTC, a magnitude 4.9 deep-focus earthquake struck 217 km ENE of Levuka, Fiji, at a depth of 541.2 km and coordinates -17.5206°, -178.7123°. This earthquake was detected by 89 seismic stations with excellent location accuracy and was assigned a USGS significance rating of 369, placing it among routine seismic activity.

Physical scale: An earthquake of magnitude 4.9 releases seismic energy equivalent to roughly 338 metric tons of TNT. Empirical fault-scaling laws (Wells & Coppersmith, 1994) estimate the subsurface rupture length at approximately 1.4 km — 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 21 hours ago 215 km ENE of Levuka, Fiji. Since the mainshock, the USGS has recorded 3 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