M5.5 earthquake 199 km SW of Vaini, Tonga
A magnitude 5.5 earthquake struck 199 km SW of Vaini, Tonga on Sun, Dec 4, 2016, 4:11 AM GMT+14 (14:11 UTC), 155 km (96 mi) below the surface.
Map
Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.
The earthquake
- Magnitude
- 5.5 (Mwb, body-wave moment), moderate
- Magnitude from
- USGS National Earthquake Information Center
- Local time
- UTC
- 2016-12-03 14:11:12 UTC
- Depth
- 155.0 km (96.3 mi), intermediate-depth
- Epicenter
- 22.637° S, 176.338° W
- Region
- Tonga
- Strongest shaking
- III, weak shaking
- PAGER alert
- Green
- 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5.5 | Mwb, body-wave moment | USGS National Earthquake Information Center | Preferred · Reviewed · ±0.068 · 21 stations |
| 5.47 | Mw, moment | ISC-GEM global catalog | Final · ±0.1 |
Shaking
The USGS ShakeMap: shaking estimated from seismic stations and the quake’s size, on the Modified Mercalli intensity scale.
- Strongest estimated
- III, weak shaking
- Map
- Automatic
Did you feel it?
No one has reported feeling this quake to the USGS.
Estimated impact
The USGS PAGER system estimates deaths and economic losses from the shaking and the population and buildings exposed to it.
- Alert level
- Green: little or no damage or loss of life expected
Fault motion and ground failure
How the rock slipped, from the moment tensor, and the USGS estimate of landslides and liquefaction.
- Faulting
- Oblique reverse
- Moment magnitude
- 5.5 Mwb
- Nodal plane 1
- Strike 273°, dip 50°, rake 143°
- Nodal plane 2
- Strike 29°, dip 63°, rake 47°
How well it is located
Reviewed by a seismologist.
- Location uncertainty
- About 10.6 km horizontally, 1.9 km in depth
- Magnitude uncertainty
- ±0.07
- Depth from
- Operator assigned
- Station coverage gap
- 98°
- Stations used
- 154
Nearest places
Distance and direction from each place to the epicenter, with its forecast.
Nearby
Within 100 km, magnitude 2.5 and up: 6 in the 60 days after this one and 2 in the 30 days before it.
After
- 4.8148 km WSW of Haveluloto, Tonga · 3587 days ago · 149 km deep · 83 km away
- 4.1Tonga region · 3582 days ago · 171 km deep · 93 km away
- 4.6131 km SSW of ‘Ohonua, Tonga · 3576 days ago · 9 km deep · 96 km away
- 5.1212 km SSW of ‘Ohonua, Tonga · 3576 days ago · 51 km deep · 79 km away
- 4.9151 km SW of Vaini, Tonga · 3574 days ago · 131 km deep · 48 km away
- 4.1218 km SW of Haveluloto, Tonga · 3549 days ago · 395 km deep · 62 km away
Before
Earthquakes todayTonga earthquakesLive radar here
Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event us10007elg (also filed as iscgem609822509). Read Sat, Oct 3, 2026, 2:33 AM UTC.