M5.5 earthquake 42 km ENE of ‘Ohonua, Tonga
A magnitude 5.5 earthquake struck 42 km ENE of ‘Ohonua, Tonga on Mon, Dec 18, 2006, 1:40 AM GMT+13 (12:40 UTC), 24 km (15 mi) below the surface.
A larger quake followed: M5.8 50 km E of ‘Ohonua, Tonga. This one was a foreshock.
Map
Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.
The earthquake
- Magnitude
- 5.5 (Mwc, centroid moment), moderate
- Magnitude from
- USGS National Earthquake Information Center
- Local time
- UTC
- 2006-12-17 12:40:10 UTC
- Depth
- 23.6 km (14.7 mi), shallow
- Epicenter
- 21.175° S, 174.573° 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. | Scale | Computed by | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5.5 | Mwc, centroid moment | USGS National Earthquake Information Center | Preferred · Reviewed |
| 5.45 | Mw, moment | ISC-GEM global catalog | Final · ±0.1 |
| 5.4 | Mwc, centroid moment | Global CMT project | Preliminary |
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 usp000f0du. 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 189°, dip 27°, rake 75°
- Nodal plane 2
- Strike 26°, dip 64°, rake 97°
How well it is located
Reviewed by a seismologist.
- Depth from
- FROM_LOCATION
- Station coverage gap
- 55°
- Stations used
- 94
Nearest places
Distance and direction from each place to the epicenter, with its forecast.
Nearby
Within 100 km, magnitude 2.5 and up: 15 in the 60 days after this one and 5 in the 30 days before it.
After
- 5.850 km E of ‘Ohonua, Tonga · 7232 days ago · 14 km deep · 14 km away
- 4.065 km ENE of Kolonga, Tonga · 7231 days ago · 10 km deep · 29 km away
- 4.649 km ESE of ‘Ohonua, Tonga · 7230 days ago · 35 km deep · 39 km away
- 5.485 km ENE of ‘Ohonua, Tonga · 7229 days ago · 10 km deep · 42 km away
- 4.785 km S of Pangai, Tonga · 7224 days ago · 15 km deep · 68 km away
- 4.4Tonga · 7221 days ago · 35 km deep · 63 km away
- 4.6101 km SSE of Pangai, Tonga · 7221 days ago · 45 km deep · 78 km away
- 4.573 km NE of ‘Ohonua, Tonga · 7218 days ago · 10 km deep · 33 km away
- 4.2111 km ESE of ‘Ohonua, Tonga · 7217 days ago · 10 km deep · 86 km away
- 4.551 km ENE of ‘Ohonua, Tonga · 7217 days ago · 35 km deep · 11 km away
- 5.177 km ENE of Kolonga, Tonga · 7212 days ago · 33 km deep · 43 km away
- 4.4108 km SSE of Pangai, Tonga · 7200 days ago · 9 km deep · 76 km away
- 4.935 km NNW of Kolonga, Tonga · 7197 days ago · 33 km deep · 70 km away
- 4.464 km ENE of ‘Ohonua, Tonga · 7188 days ago · 10 km deep · 22 km away
- 4.930 km NE of ‘Ohonua, Tonga · 7178 days ago · 10 km deep · 16 km away
Before
- 4.554 km SSW of Pangai, Tonga · 7233 days ago · 35 km deep · 100 km away
- 4.559 km E of ‘Ohonua, Tonga · 7244 days ago · 18 km deep · 23 km away
- 4.511 km SE of Tatakamotonga, Tonga · 7248 days ago · 10 km deep · 49 km away
- 6.028 km E of ‘Ohonua, Tonga · 7249 days ago · 14 km deep · 17 km away
- 4.787 km ESE of ‘Ohonua, Tonga · 7250 days ago · 35 km deep · 62 km away
Earthquakes todayTonga earthquakesLive radar here
Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp000f0du (also filed as gcmtc200612171240a, gcmt20061217124010, iscgem9138105). Read Mon, Oct 5, 2026, 2:39 AM UTC.