Tonga earthquakes

M5.3 earthquake 146 km NNW of Neiafu, Tonga

A magnitude 5.3 earthquake struck 146 km NNW of Neiafu, Tonga on Tue, Nov 14, 2017, 5:00 PM GMT-12 (05:00 UTC), 156 km (97 mi) below the surface.

Map

Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.

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The earthquake

Magnitude: 5.3 (Mww, W-phase moment), moderate
Magnitude from: USGS National Earthquake Information Center
Local time: Tue, Nov 14, 2017, 5:00 PM GMT-12
UTC: 2017-11-15 05:00:39 UTC
Depth: 156.5 km (97.2 mi), intermediate-depth
Epicenter: 17.493° S, 174.658° 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.	Scale	Computed by	Notes
5.3	Mww, W-phase moment	USGS National Earthquake Information Center	Preferred · Reviewed · ±0.103 · 9 stations
5.3	Mw, moment	ISC-GEM global catalog	Final · ±0.1

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: Oblique normal
Moment magnitude: 5.3 Mww
Nodal plane 1: Strike 242°, dip 54°, rake -34°
Nodal plane 2: Strike 354°, dip 63°, rake -138°

How well it is located

Reviewed by a seismologist.

Location uncertainty: About 8.7 km horizontally, 4.3 km in depth
Magnitude uncertainty: ±0.10
Depth from: From location
Station coverage gap: 24°
Stations used: 162

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 2.3 and up: 6 in the 60 days after this one and 3 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 us2000bnrf (also filed as iscgem611835298). Read Thu, Oct 1, 2026, 10:16 PM UTC.