Tonga earthquakes

M5.1 earthquake 131 km WNW of Neiafu, Tonga

A magnitude 5.1 earthquake struck 131 km WNW of Neiafu, Tonga on Thu, Nov 8, 2007, 11:28 AM GMT+13 (22:28 UTC), 224 km (139 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M5.6 121 km NW of Neiafu, 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
5.1 (Mwc, centroid moment), moderate
Magnitude from
USGS National Earthquake Information Center
Local time
UTC
2007-11-07 22:28:24 UTC
Depth
223.8 km (139.1 mi), intermediate-depth
Epicenter
18.113° S, 175.089° 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
5.1Mwc, centroid momentUSGS National Earthquake Information CenterPreferred · Reviewed
5.08Mw, momentISC-GEM global catalogFinal · ±0.1
5.1Mwc, centroid momentGlobal CMT projectPreliminary

What happened

The USGS’s account of the effects of this earthquake.

Felt at Neiafu.

From the USGS event page for usp000fs52. 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 273°, dip 27°, rake -22°
Nodal plane 2
Strike 23°, dip 80°, rake -115°

How well it is located

Reviewed by a seismologist.

Depth from
CONSTRAINED_BY_DEPTH_PHASES
Station coverage gap
33°
Stations used
92

Nearest places

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

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 2.1 and up: 5 in the 60 days after this one and 1 in the 30 days before it.

After

Before

Earthquakes todayTonga earthquakesLive radar here

Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp000fs52 (also filed as gcmtc200711072228a, gcmt20071107222818, iscgem13261574). Read Fri, Oct 2, 2026, 11:45 AM UTC.