Tonga earthquakes

M4.9 earthquake 33 km ESE of ‘Ohonua, Tonga

A magnitude 4.9 earthquake struck 33 km ESE of ‘Ohonua, Tonga on Sat, May 13, 2006, 10:52 AM GMT+13 (21:52 UTC), 50 km (31 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M5.7 104 km ENE of Kolonga, Tonga. This one was a foreshock.

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Map

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

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The earthquake

Magnitude
4.9 (Mwc, centroid moment), light
Magnitude from
USGS National Earthquake Information Center
Local time
UTC
2006-05-12 21:52:44 UTC
Depth
50.0 km (31.1 mi), shallow
Epicenter
21.400° S, 174.634° 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
4.9Mwc, centroid momentUSGS National Earthquake Information CenterPreferred · Reviewed
4.9Mwc, 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 usp000egz5. 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
Reverse (thrust)
Nodal plane 1
Strike 186°, dip 22°, rake 68°
Nodal plane 2
Strike 29°, dip 69°, rake 99°

How well it is located

Reviewed by a seismologist.

Station coverage gap
124°
Stations used
75

Nearest places

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

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 1.9 and up: 26 in the 60 days after this one and 31 in the 30 days before it.

After

  1. 4.696 km S of Pangai, Tonga · 7448 days ago · 46 km deep · 88 km away
  2. 4.874 km E of ‘Ohonua, Tonga · 7447 days ago · 42 km deep · 45 km away
  3. 4.784 km ESE of ‘Ohonua, Tonga · 7447 days ago · 10 km deep · 51 km away
  4. 5.172 km ENE of ‘Ohonua, Tonga · 7447 days ago · 34 km deep · 49 km away
  5. 5.7104 km ENE of Kolonga, Tonga · 7446 days ago · 15 km deep · 88 km away
  6. 4.797 km SSE of Pangai, Tonga · 7442 days ago · 15 km deep · 94 km away
  7. 4.9103 km ENE of Kolonga, Tonga · 7442 days ago · 15 km deep · 86 km away
  8. 4.9Tonga · 7442 days ago · 37 km deep · 90 km away
  9. 4.6105 km SSE of Pangai, Tonga · 7442 days ago · 33 km deep · 96 km away
  10. 4.867 km NE of Kolonga, Tonga · 7441 days ago · 15 km deep · 78 km away
  11. 5.250 km NE of ‘Ohonua, Tonga · 7441 days ago · 35 km deep · 42 km away
  12. 4.454 km NE of Kolonga, Tonga · 7437 days ago · 35 km deep · 76 km away
  13. 5.459 km E of ‘Ohonua, Tonga · 7436 days ago · 33 km deep · 30 km away
  14. 5.2105 km ENE of ‘Ohonua, Tonga · 7436 days ago · 17 km deep · 84 km away
  15. 4.645 km ENE of ‘Ohonua, Tonga · 7431 days ago · 50 km deep · 22 km away
  16. 5.165 km E of ‘Ohonua, Tonga · 7430 days ago · 37 km deep · 36 km away
  17. 4.467 km ESE of ‘Ohonua, Tonga · 7428 days ago · 113 km deep · 35 km away
  18. 4.880 km NE of ‘Ohonua, Tonga · 7428 days ago · 35 km deep · 64 km away
  19. 5.1104 km ENE of ‘Ohonua, Tonga · 7428 days ago · 13 km deep · 82 km away
  20. 5.280 km S of Pangai, Tonga · 7428 days ago · 38 km deep · 99 km away
  21. 4.580 km ENE of Kolonga, Tonga · 7425 days ago · 10 km deep · 77 km away
  22. 4.7Tonga · 7424 days ago · 15 km deep · 91 km away
  23. 4.697 km SSE of Pangai, Tonga · 7424 days ago · 44 km deep · 99 km away
  24. 4.3Tonga · 7422 days ago · 10 km deep · 92 km away
  25. 4.941 km NE of ‘Ohonua, Tonga · 7420 days ago · 34 km deep · 36 km away
  26. 4.878 km E of ‘Ohonua, Tonga · 7391 days ago · 29 km deep · 45 km away

Before

  1. 4.793 km E of ‘Ohonua, Tonga · 7450 days ago · 10 km deep · 60 km away
  2. 4.785 km ENE of Kolonga, Tonga · 7450 days ago · 10 km deep · 76 km away
  3. 4.513 km ENE of ‘Ohonua, Tonga · 7451 days ago · 35 km deep · 24 km away
  4. 4.584 km NE of ‘Ohonua, Tonga · 7452 days ago · 42 km deep · 67 km away
  5. 5.335 km E of ‘Ohonua, Tonga · 7453 days ago · 37 km deep · 10 km away
  6. 4.280 km ENE of ‘Ohonua, Tonga · 7455 days ago · 54 km deep · 52 km away
  7. 5.287 km ENE of ‘Ohonua, Tonga · 7455 days ago · 40 km deep · 60 km away
  8. 4.398 km ENE of Kolonga, Tonga · 7455 days ago · 50 km deep · 83 km away
  9. 4.7124 km ESE of ‘Ohonua, Tonga · 7456 days ago · 35 km deep · 93 km away
  10. 4.254 km ENE of ‘Ohonua, Tonga · 7456 days ago · 35 km deep · 36 km away
  11. 4.2110 km ENE of ‘Ohonua, Tonga · 7456 days ago · 35 km deep · 87 km away
  12. 4.3112 km ENE of ‘Ohonua, Tonga · 7456 days ago · 17 km deep · 88 km away
  13. 4.8100 km SSE of Pangai, Tonga · 7458 days ago · 44 km deep · 100 km away
  14. 4.5116 km ENE of ‘Ohonua, Tonga · 7458 days ago · 43 km deep · 91 km away
  15. 4.894 km ENE of Kolonga, Tonga · 7458 days ago · 35 km deep · 79 km away
  16. 5.049 km ENE of Kolonga, Tonga · 7458 days ago · 35 km deep · 42 km away
  17. 4.985 km S of Pangai, Tonga · 7458 days ago · 35 km deep · 93 km away
  18. 5.295 km S of Pangai, Tonga · 7458 days ago · 18 km deep · 91 km away
  19. 4.497 km ENE of ‘Ohonua, Tonga · 7458 days ago · 35 km deep · 73 km away
  20. 4.690 km ENE of ‘Ohonua, Tonga · 7459 days ago · 35 km deep · 62 km away

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Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp000egz5 (also filed as gcmtc200605122152a, gcmt20060512215244). Read Sun, Oct 4, 2026, 5:27 PM UTC.