M5.2 earthquake 48 km S of ‘Ohonua, Tonga
A magnitude 5.2 earthquake struck 48 km S of ‘Ohonua, Tonga on Sun, Dec 18, 2016, 8:49 AM GMT+14 (18:49 UTC), 10 km (6 mi) below the surface.
A larger quake followed: M5.3 6 km SSW of Vaini, Tonga. This one was a foreshock.
Map
Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.
The earthquake
- Magnitude
- 5.2 (mb, body-wave), moderate
- Magnitude from
- USGS National Earthquake Information Center
- Local time
- UTC
- 2016-12-17 18:49:28 UTC
- Depth
- 10.0 km (6.2 mi), shallow
- Epicenter
- 21.765° S, 174.904° W
- Region
- Tonga
- Tsunami flag
- No
- Status
- Reviewed by a seismologist
Did you feel it?
No one has reported feeling this quake to the USGS.
How well it is located
Reviewed by a seismologist.
- Location uncertainty
- About 10.7 km horizontally, 1.8 km in depth
- Magnitude uncertainty
- ±0.07
- Depth from
- Operator assigned
- Station coverage gap
- 59°
- Stations used
- 103
Nearest places
Distance and direction from each place to the epicenter, with its forecast.
Nearby
Within 100 km, magnitude 2.2 and up: 1 in the 60 days after this one and 6 in the 30 days before it.
After
Before
- 4.6131 km SSW of ‘Ohonua, Tonga · 3576 days ago · 9 km deep · 92 km away
- 5.255 km SSE of ‘Ohonua, Tonga · 3579 days ago · 10 km deep · 13 km away · felt by 1
- 5.379 km SE of ‘Ohonua, Tonga · 3579 days ago · 10 km deep · 44 km away
- 4.1Tonga region · 3582 days ago · 171 km deep · 90 km away
- 4.499 km SE of ‘Ohonua, Tonga · 3600 days ago · 23 km deep · 72 km away
- 4.591 km SE of ‘Ohonua, Tonga · 3603 days ago · 35 km deep · 64 km away
Earthquakes todayTonga earthquakesLive radar here
Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event us20008206. Read Sat, Oct 3, 2026, 2:07 AM UTC.