Tonga earthquakes

M5.2 earthquake 174 km SSW of ‘Ohonua, Tonga

A magnitude 5.2 earthquake struck 174 km SSW of ‘Ohonua, Tonga on Tue, Feb 28, 2006, 1:32 PM GMT+13 (00:32 UTC), 10 km (6 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M5.3 175 km S of ‘Ohonua, Tonga. This one was a foreshock.

Nuku‘alofa forecastMore in Tonga

Map

Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.

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The earthquake

Magnitude
5.2 (Mwc, centroid moment), moderate
Magnitude from
USGS National Earthquake Information Center
Local time
UTC
2006-02-28 00:32:37 UTC
Depth
10.0 km (6.2 mi), shallow
Epicenter
22.708° S, 175.786° W
Region
Tonga
Tsunami flag
No
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

Magnitude estimates

Different scales measure different things and differ by a few tenths. The USGS marks one as preferred, and it is the one this page uses.

Mag.ScaleComputed byNotes
5.2Mwc, centroid momentUSGS National Earthquake Information CenterPreferred · Reviewed
5.21Mw, momentISC-GEM global catalogFinal · ±0.1
5.2Mwc, centroid momentGlobal CMT projectPreliminary

What happened

The USGS’s account of the effects of this earthquake.

no people dead or missing; no people injured; no buildings damaged or destroyed

From the USGS event page for usp000eb0k. U.S. Geological Survey text and figures are in the public domain.

Did you feel it?

No one has reported feeling this quake to the USGS.

Fault motion and ground failure

How the rock slipped, from the moment tensor, and the USGS estimate of landslides and liquefaction.

Faulting
Strike-slip
Nodal plane 1
Strike 241°, dip 50°, rake -166°
Nodal plane 2
Strike 141°, dip 79°, rake -41°

How well it is located

Reviewed by a seismologist.

Depth from
OPERATOR_ASSIGNED
Station coverage gap
29°
Stations used
126

Nearest places

Distance and direction from each place to the epicenter, with its forecast.

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 2.2 and up: 18 in the 60 days after this one and 4 in the 30 days before it.

After

  1. 4.6153 km SSW of ‘Ohonua, Tonga · 7519 days ago · 25 km deep · 33 km away
  2. 4.8240 km SSW of ‘Ohonua, Tonga · 7505 days ago · 23 km deep · 66 km away
  3. 4.4172 km SSW of ‘Ohonua, Tonga · 7505 days ago · 35 km deep · 49 km away
  4. 4.0170 km SW of Haveluloto, Tonga · 7495 days ago · 412 km deep · 96 km away
  5. 5.3175 km S of ‘Ohonua, Tonga · 7494 days ago · 46 km deep · 73 km away
  6. 5.0159 km S of ‘Ohonua, Tonga · 7494 days ago · 22 km deep · 57 km away
  7. 5.1182 km S of ‘Ohonua, Tonga · 7494 days ago · 25 km deep · 68 km away
  8. 4.9164 km SSW of ‘Ohonua, Tonga · 7494 days ago · 27 km deep · 53 km away
  9. 4.8173 km S of ‘Ohonua, Tonga · 7494 days ago · 25 km deep · 57 km away
  10. 4.4142 km SSW of ‘Ohonua, Tonga · 7494 days ago · 25 km deep · 52 km away
  11. 4.5145 km S of ‘Ohonua, Tonga · 7493 days ago · 25 km deep · 74 km away
  12. 4.9148 km SSW of ‘Ohonua, Tonga · 7490 days ago · 38 km deep · 40 km away
  13. 4.8187 km S of ‘Ohonua, Tonga · 7488 days ago · 44 km deep · 68 km away
  14. 4.8156 km SSW of ‘Ohonua, Tonga · 7488 days ago · 25 km deep · 50 km away
  15. 4.9191 km S of ‘Ohonua, Tonga · 7488 days ago · 18 km deep · 75 km away
  16. 4.9161 km S of ‘Ohonua, Tonga · 7485 days ago · 10 km deep · 56 km away
  17. 4.7163 km SSW of ‘Ohonua, Tonga · 7482 days ago · 10 km deep · 50 km away
  18. 4.788 km SSW of ‘Ohonua, Tonga · 7467 days ago · 35 km deep · 86 km away

Before

  1. 4.8183 km SSW of ‘Ohonua, Tonga · 7527 days ago · 25 km deep · 38 km away
  2. 4.8200 km SSW of Vaini, Tonga · 7536 days ago · 62 km deep · 46 km away
  3. 4.6Tonga region · 7540 days ago · 35 km deep · 50 km away
  4. 4.4258 km SSW of Vaini, Tonga · 7547 days ago · 100 km deep · 92 km away

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Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp000eb0k (also filed as gcmtc200602280032a, gcmt20060228003237, iscgem8193275). Read Sun, Oct 4, 2026, 10:51 AM UTC.