Tonga earthquakes

M5.5 earthquake 109 km NNE of Hihifo, Tonga

A magnitude 5.5 earthquake struck 109 km NNE of Hihifo, Tonga on Sun, Jan 15, 2017, 12:34 AM GMT+14 (10:34 UTC), 5 km (3 mi) below the surface.

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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: 5.5 (Mww, W-phase moment), moderate
Magnitude from: USGS National Earthquake Information Center
Local time: Sun, Jan 15, 2017, 12:34 AM GMT+14
UTC: 2017-01-14 10:34:50 UTC
Depth: 5.2 km (3.3 mi), shallow
Epicenter: 15.112° S, 173.268° W
Region: Tonga
Felt reports: 4
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	Mww, W-phase moment	USGS National Earthquake Information Center	Preferred · Reviewed · ±0.139 · 5 stations
5.63	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

USGS ShakeMap: estimated shaking intensity around the epicenter — Estimated shaking intensity. Map: USGS ShakeMap.

Did you feel it?

4 people reported to the USGS what they felt; the strongest reported shaking was III, weak shaking.

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 normal
Moment magnitude: 5.5 Mww
Nodal plane 1: Strike 264°, dip 4°, rake -148°
Nodal plane 2: Strike 142°, dip 88°, rake -87°

How well it is located

Reviewed by a seismologist.

Location uncertainty: About 7.6 km horizontally, 3.6 km in depth
Magnitude uncertainty: ±0.14
Depth from: From location
Station coverage gap: 66°
Stations used: 76

Nearest places

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

Apia, SamoaPopulation 40,407. Forecast215 kmSW

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 2.5 and up: 10 in the 60 days after this one and 7 in the 30 days before it.

After

Before

Earthquakes today Tonga earthquakes Live radar here

Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event us10007t9m (also filed as iscgem610570673). Read Sat, Oct 3, 2026, 3:37 AM UTC.