south of the Fiji Islands

A magnitude 7.8 earthquake — a major event — struck near south of the Fiji Islands on December 9, 2007, at a intermediate-depth depth of about 153 km. An earthquake this size would have been felt strongly across the surrounding region; intermediate-depth events inside a subducting slab are often felt over a wide area but do less surface damage than shallow quakes. 28 people submitted "Did You Feel It?" shaking reports to the USGS. Casualties, damage and the recovery depend on local building standards, population and distance from the epicentre — the news coverage, references and photos below capture what happened on the ground.