Tonga earthquakes

M5.0 earthquake 52 km SSE of Pangai, Tonga

A magnitude 5.0 earthquake struck 52 km SSE of Pangai, Tonga on Sat, Dec 9, 2006, 11:03 AM GMT+13 (22:03 UTC), 35 km (22 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M5.4 85 km ENE 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
5.0 (mb, body-wave), moderate
Magnitude from
USGS National Earthquake Information Center
Local time
UTC
2006-12-08 22:03:28 UTC
Depth
35.0 km (21.7 mi), shallow
Epicenter
20.243° S, 174.146° 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 usp000ezu5. 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
OPERATOR_ASSIGNED
Station coverage gap
121°
Stations used
36

Nearest places

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

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 2.0 and up: 11 in the 60 days after this one and 4 in the 30 days before it.

After

  1. 4.554 km SSW of Pangai, Tonga · 7234 days ago · 35 km deep · 41 km away
  2. 4.065 km ENE of Kolonga, Tonga · 7232 days ago · 10 km deep · 84 km away
  3. 5.485 km ENE of ‘Ohonua, Tonga · 7230 days ago · 10 km deep · 83 km away
  4. 4.785 km S of Pangai, Tonga · 7225 days ago · 15 km deep · 47 km away
  5. 4.4Tonga · 7222 days ago · 35 km deep · 49 km away
  6. 4.6101 km SSE of Pangai, Tonga · 7221 days ago · 45 km deep · 50 km away
  7. 4.573 km NE of ‘Ohonua, Tonga · 7218 days ago · 10 km deep · 81 km away
  8. 5.177 km ENE of Kolonga, Tonga · 7212 days ago · 33 km deep · 70 km away
  9. 4.4108 km SSE of Pangai, Tonga · 7200 days ago · 9 km deep · 57 km away
  10. 5.114 km WSW of Pangai, Tonga · 7192 days ago · 44 km deep · 54 km away
  11. 4.464 km ENE of ‘Ohonua, Tonga · 7189 days ago · 10 km deep · 99 km away

Before

  1. 5.161 km SSE of Pangai, Tonga · 7241 days ago · 10 km deep · 11 km away
  2. 5.09 km SE of Pangai, Tonga · 7255 days ago · 10 km deep · 44 km away
  3. 5.129 km SSE of Pangai, Tonga · 7262 days ago · 70 km deep · 23 km away
  4. 4.430 km ENE of Pangai, Tonga · 7263 days ago · 57 km deep · 56 km away

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Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp000ezu5. Read Mon, Oct 5, 2026, 1:45 PM UTC.