5.4

M5.4 Earthquake 239 km E of Levuka, Fiji — March 9, 2024

2024-03-09 12:01:09 UTC (2024-03-09) · approx. 12:01 AM UTC-12 local

MagnitudeM5.4(mww)
Time12:01 UTC≈ 12:01 AM UTC-12
Depth593.0 kmdeep-focus
Coordinates-17.990°, -178.418°
Felt byNo felt reports
Status✓ Reviewed by USGS· green PAGER
green Alert— no significant casualties or damage expected

On March 9, 2024 at 12:01 UTC, a magnitude 5.4 deep-focus earthquake struck 239 km E of Levuka, Fiji, at a depth of 593.0 km and coordinates -17.9900°, -178.4182°. The USGS PAGER system issued a green alert level for this event, indicating no significant casualties or damage expected. This earthquake was detected by 185 seismic stations with excellent location accuracy and was assigned a USGS significance rating of 449, placing it among routine seismic activity.

Physical scale: An earthquake of magnitude 5.4 releases seismic energy equivalent to roughly 2 kilotons of TNT. Empirical fault-scaling laws (Wells & Coppersmith, 1994) estimate the subsurface rupture length at approximately 3.2 km — a useful intuition for the size of the slip patch on the fault.

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

Map showing earthquake epicenter at -17.99°, -178.42°

ShakeMap — predicted shaking intensity

Modeled ground-motion intensity contoured on the Modified Mercalli scale (MMI). Computed by the USGS from the moment-tensor solution and regional ground-motion prediction equations.

USGS ShakeMap intensity contours for the M5.4 earthquake near 239 km E of Levuka, Fiji

Source: U.S. Geological Survey ShakeMap. View interactive ShakeMap on USGS

Earthquake Details

Magnitude
5.4 mww
Depth
593.0 km
deep-focus
Location
-17.9900°N
-178.4182°E
Intensity (MMI)
1.2
weak

Technical Information

Event ID
us7000m4e2
Event Type
earthquake
Status
✓ Reviewed
Significance
449
Stations Used
185
Azimuthal Gap
33.0°
Min Station Distance
3.370°
RMS Residual
0.76 sec
Last Updated
2024-05-15 17:35:01 UTC

Nearby Earthquakes (Last 7 Days)

4.9
237 km E of Levuka, Fiji
11 hours ago · 589.1 km deep
4.6
40 km WNW of Houma, Tonga
3 days ago · 126.5 km deep
4.6
99 km WSW of Houma, Tonga
3 days ago · 137.2 km deep
4.7
Fiji region
4 days ago · 603.0 km deep
4.3
Fiji region
6 days ago · 574.4 km deep

Common Questions

How strong was the magnitude 5.4 earthquake near Levuka, Fiji?

The magnitude 5.4 earthquake that struck 239 km E of Levuka, Fiji on March 9, 2024 at 12:01 UTC had a depth of 593.0 km. For context, this was a moderate earthquake that could be widely felt.

Where did the earthquake occur?

The earthquake epicenter was located at -17.9900°, -178.4182°, which is 239 km E of Levuka, Fiji. View all earthquakes in Fiji.

Were there aftershocks?

Aftershock activity is monitored continuously by the USGS. Aftershock sequences from magnitude 5.4 earthquakes can continue for days to weeks and gradually diminish over time.

Actions

View on USGSDid You Feel It?

Location

Fiji
View all Fiji earthquakes

Authoritative source: USGS event page (event ID: us7000m4e2). All scientific values on this page are sourced verbatim from the USGS feed.

Cite this page: EarthquakeTracker.org. (2024, March 9, 2024). M5.4 Earthquake 239 km E of Levuka, Fiji — March 9, 2024. Retrieved May 15, 2024 from https://www.earthquaketracker.org/earthquakes/event/us7000m4e2/