M5.6 earthquake 251 km SSW of ‘Ohonua, Tonga
A magnitude 5.6 earthquake struck 251 km SSW of ‘Ohonua, Tonga on Tue, Nov 3, 1959, 10:13 AM GMT+12:20 (21:53 UTC), 25 km (16 mi) below the surface.
A larger quake followed: M5.9 Tonga region. This one was a foreshock.
Map
Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.
The earthquake
- Magnitude
- 5.6 (mw), moderate
- Local time
- UTC
- 1959-11-02 21:53:11 UTC
- Depth
- 25.0 km (15.5 mi), shallow
- Epicenter
- 23.426° S, 175.904° W
- Region
- Tonga
- Tsunami flag
- No
- Status
- Reviewed by a seismologist
Did you feel it?
No one has reported feeling this quake to the USGS.
How well it is located
Reviewed by a seismologist.
- Magnitude uncertainty
- ±0.25
- Depth from
- From location
Nearest places
Distance and direction from each place to the epicenter, with its forecast.
Nearby
Within 100 km, magnitude 2.5 and up: 2 in the 60 days after this one and 1 in the 30 days before it.
After
- 5.9Tonga region · 24425 days ago · 30 km deep · 37 km away
- 5.8196 km SSW of ‘Ohonua, Tonga · 24392 days ago · 15 km deep · 69 km away
Before
Earthquakes todayTonga earthquakesLive radar here
Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event iscgem883218. Read Tue, Sep 22, 2026, 8:44 AM UTC.