The August 19 Mww 8.2 earthquake was the largest earthquake of 2018 and the second largest ever recorded below 300 km depth.
Key Facts
- First earthquake magnitude
- Mww 8.2
- First earthquake focal depth
- 600 km
- Second earthquake magnitude
- Mww 7.9
- Second earthquake focal depth
- 670 km
- Distance from Levuka
- ~270 km
- Event classification
- Doublet earthquake event
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
The earthquakes were caused by normal faulting deep beneath the South Pacific Ocean near the Fijian island of Lakeba. The extreme focal depths of 600 km and 670 km place both events within the deep subduction zone environment characteristic of the region.
On August 19, 2018, a Mww 8.2 earthquake struck near Lakeba at 00:19:40 UTC at a depth of 600 km, becoming the largest earthquake of 2018. A second, independent Mww 7.9 mainshock occurred on September 6 at 670 km depth. Together they are considered a doublet event.
No casualties are reported in the source. The August 19 earthquake tied with the 1994 Bolivia earthquake as the second largest ever recorded deeper than 300 km, behind only the 2013 Sea of Okhotsk earthquake, placing the event in the historical record of deep seismic activity.