Tonga earthquakes

M4.9 earthquake 156 km E of Pangai, Tonga

A magnitude 4.9 earthquake struck 156 km E of Pangai, Tonga on Tue, May 23, 2006, 7:55 AM GMT+13 (18:55 UTC), 50 km (31 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M5.3 81 km SE of Neiafu, 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
4.9 (mb, body-wave), light
Magnitude from
USGS National Earthquake Information Center
Local time
UTC
2006-05-22 18:55:19 UTC
Depth
50.3 km (31.3 mi), shallow
Epicenter
19.890° S, 172.865° W
Region
Tonga
Tsunami flag
No
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

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 usp000ehqp. 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.

How well it is located

Reviewed by a seismologist.

Depth from
FROM_LOCATION
Station coverage gap
146°
Stations used
13

Nearest places

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

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 1.9 and up: 7 in the 60 days after this one and 6 in the 30 days before it.

After

  1. 5.381 km SE of Neiafu, Tonga · 7434 days ago · 33 km deep · 100 km away
  2. 4.7104 km SSE of Neiafu, Tonga · 7432 days ago · 9 km deep · 78 km away
  3. 4.5163 km ESE of Pangai, Tonga · 7430 days ago · 44 km deep · 54 km away
  4. 4.193 km SE of Neiafu, Tonga · 7430 days ago · 10 km deep · 88 km away
  5. 4.966 km ESE of Pangai, Tonga · 7428 days ago · 51 km deep · 97 km away
  6. 4.665 km E of Pangai, Tonga · 7398 days ago · 10 km deep · 90 km away
  7. 4.6104 km ESE of Pangai, Tonga · 7387 days ago · 8 km deep · 71 km away

Before

  1. 4.8107 km ESE of Pangai, Tonga · 7443 days ago · 17 km deep · 63 km away
  2. 4.767 km ESE of Pangai, Tonga · 7453 days ago · 108 km deep · 91 km away
  3. 4.1110 km ESE of Pangai, Tonga · 7455 days ago · 35 km deep · 58 km away
  4. 4.085 km ESE of Pangai, Tonga · 7457 days ago · 35 km deep · 74 km away
  5. 5.272 km E of Pangai, Tonga · 7458 days ago · 39 km deep · 84 km away
  6. 4.2180 km SE of Neiafu, Tonga · 7459 days ago · 35 km deep · 41 km away

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Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp000ehqp. Read Mon, Oct 5, 2026, 1:41 PM UTC.