M4.9 earthquake 26 km SSW of Pangai, Tonga
A magnitude 4.9 earthquake struck 26 km SSW of Pangai, Tonga on Sat, Jun 17, 2006, 4:45 PM GMT+13 (03:45 UTC), 38 km (24 mi) below the surface.
A larger quake followed: M5.6 Tonga. This one was a foreshock.
Map
Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.
The earthquake
- Magnitude
- 4.9 (Mwc, centroid moment), light
- Magnitude from
- USGS National Earthquake Information Center
- Local time
- UTC
- 2006-06-17 03:45:54 UTC
- Depth
- 38.3 km (23.8 mi), shallow
- Epicenter
- 20.028° S, 174.465° 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4.9 | Mwc, centroid moment | USGS National Earthquake Information Center | Preferred · Reviewed |
| 4.9 | 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 usp000ekk5. 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 67°, dip 34°, rake -6°
- Nodal plane 2
- Strike 162°, dip 87°, rake -124°
How well it is located
Reviewed by a seismologist.
- Station coverage gap
- 124°
- Stations used
- 104
Nearest places
Distance and direction from each place to the epicenter, with its forecast.
Nearby
Within 100 km, magnitude 1.9 and up: 17 in the 60 days after this one and 34 in the 30 days before it.
After
- 3.841 km WNW of Pangai, Tonga · 7414 days ago · 42 km deep · 49 km away
- 4.019 km WSW of Pangai, Tonga · 7414 days ago · 25 km deep · 16 km away
- 4.532 km SSW of Pangai, Tonga · 7414 days ago · 15 km deep · 7 km away
- 4.647 km SSW of Pangai, Tonga · 7414 days ago · 50 km deep · 21 km away
- 4.939 km SSE of Pangai, Tonga · 7414 days ago · 35 km deep · 33 km away
- 4.834 km E of Pangai, Tonga · 7413 days ago · 10 km deep · 49 km away
- 4.338 km S of Pangai, Tonga · 7408 days ago · 35 km deep · 22 km away
- 4.222 km SSE of Pangai, Tonga · 7406 days ago · 36 km deep · 23 km away
- 5.0100 km SSE of Pangai, Tonga · 7404 days ago · 15 km deep · 85 km away
- 4.696 km SSE of Pangai, Tonga · 7399 days ago · 35 km deep · 82 km away
- 4.665 km E of Pangai, Tonga · 7398 days ago · 10 km deep · 81 km away
- 5.6Tonga · 7397 days ago · 26 km deep · 69 km away
- 4.2113 km SSE of Pangai, Tonga · 7388 days ago · 35 km deep · 96 km away
- 4.751 km E of Pangai, Tonga · 7388 days ago · 19 km deep · 70 km away
- 4.121 km NNW of Pangai, Tonga · 7387 days ago · 35 km deep · 44 km away
- 4.933 km W of Pangai, Tonga · 7385 days ago · 25 km deep · 37 km away
- 4.846 km NNW of Pangai, Tonga · 7358 days ago · 10 km deep · 69 km away
Before
- 4.3Tonga · 7423 days ago · 10 km deep · 81 km away
- 4.0Tonga · 7425 days ago · 35 km deep · 45 km away
- 4.686 km SSE of Pangai, Tonga · 7425 days ago · 15 km deep · 71 km away
- 4.697 km SSE of Pangai, Tonga · 7425 days ago · 44 km deep · 80 km away
- 4.7Tonga · 7425 days ago · 15 km deep · 65 km away
- 4.580 km ENE of Kolonga, Tonga · 7425 days ago · 10 km deep · 80 km away
- 4.663 km S of Pangai, Tonga · 7427 days ago · 27 km deep · 45 km away
- 4.966 km ESE of Pangai, Tonga · 7428 days ago · 51 km deep · 72 km away
- 5.280 km S of Pangai, Tonga · 7429 days ago · 38 km deep · 59 km away
- 4.880 km NE of ‘Ohonua, Tonga · 7429 days ago · 35 km deep · 97 km away
- 4.266 km NE of Pangai, Tonga · 7430 days ago · 165 km deep · 91 km away
- 4.754 km ESE of Pangai, Tonga · 7430 days ago · 38 km deep · 63 km away
- 5.260 km ESE of Pangai, Tonga · 7430 days ago · 30 km deep · 65 km away
- 5.168 km ESE of Pangai, Tonga · 7430 days ago · 35 km deep · 71 km away
- 4.960 km ESE of Pangai, Tonga · 7431 days ago · 45 km deep · 65 km away
- 5.721 km WSW of Pangai, Tonga · 7435 days ago · 49 km deep · 15 km away
- 4.535 km ESE of Pangai, Tonga · 7435 days ago · 35 km deep · 48 km away
- 4.957 km SE of Pangai, Tonga · 7436 days ago · 35 km deep · 50 km away
- 5.2105 km ENE of ‘Ohonua, Tonga · 7436 days ago · 17 km deep · 99 km away
- 4.454 km NE of Kolonga, Tonga · 7437 days ago · 35 km deep · 84 km away
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Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp000ekk5 (also filed as gcmtc200606170346a, gcmt20060617034554). Read Mon, Oct 5, 2026, 10:49 AM UTC.