M5.7 earthquake 148 km S of Hihifo, Tonga
A magnitude 5.7 earthquake struck 148 km S of Hihifo, Tonga on Wed, Dec 26, 2018, 2:11 AM GMT-12 (14:11 UTC), 120 km (75 mi) below the surface.
Map
Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.
The earthquake
- Magnitude
- 5.7 (mww), moderate
- Local time
- UTC
- 2018-12-26 14:11:21 UTC
- Depth
- 120.0 km (74.6 mi), intermediate-depth
- Epicenter
- 17.277° S, 174.013° W
- Region
- Tonga
- Felt reports
- 1
- Strongest shaking
- I, not felt shaking
- PAGER alert
- Green
- Tsunami flag
- No
- Status
- Reviewed by a seismologist
Shaking
The USGS ShakeMap: shaking estimated from seismic stations and the quake’s size, on the Modified Mercalli intensity scale.
- Map
- Automatic
Did you feel it?
1 person 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
| Range | Chance |
|---|---|
| Under 1 | 65% |
| 1 to 10 | 30% |
| 10 to 100 | 4% |
| 100 to 1,000 | Under 1% |
| 1,000 to 10,000 | Under 1% |
| 10,000 to 100,000 | Under 1% |
| 100,000 to 10,000,000 | Under 1% |
| Range, million USD | Chance |
|---|---|
| Under 1 | 65% |
| 1 to 10 | 30% |
| 10 to 100 | 4% |
| 100 to 1,000 | Under 1% |
| 1,000 to 10,000 | Under 1% |
| 10,000 to 100,000 | Under 1% |
| 100,000 to 10,000,000 | Under 1% |
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
- 5.7 Mww
- Nodal plane 1
- Strike 295°, dip 20°, rake -145°
- Nodal plane 2
- Strike 172°, dip 79°, rake -73°
How well it is located
Reviewed by a seismologist.
- Location uncertainty
- About 8.2 km horizontally, 1.9 km in depth
- Magnitude uncertainty
- ±0.06
- Depth from
- Operator assigned
- Station coverage gap
- 36°
- Stations used
- 203
Nearby
Within 100 km, magnitude 2.7 and up: 10 in the 60 days after this one and 5 in the 30 days before it.
After
- 4.6154 km SSW of Hihifo, Tonga · 2830 days ago · 80 km deep · 39 km away
- 5.0161 km NW of Neiafu, Tonga · 2827 days ago · 219 km deep · 91 km away
- 4.6148 km NW of Neiafu, Tonga · 2819 days ago · 10 km deep · 85 km away
- 5.2113 km NNW of Neiafu, Tonga · 2819 days ago · 10 km deep · 53 km away
- 4.6129 km NNW of Neiafu, Tonga · 2819 days ago · 10 km deep · 37 km away
- 4.3125 km SSW of Hihifo, Tonga · 2804 days ago · 183 km deep · 39 km away
- 4.596 km SSE of Hihifo, Tonga · 2804 days ago · 72 km deep · 94 km away
- 5.379 km SSE of Hihifo, Tonga · 2795 days ago · 35 km deep · 85 km away
- 4.5120 km SW of Hihifo, Tonga · 2786 days ago · 185 km deep · 73 km away · felt by 1
- 4.674 km NNE of Neiafu, Tonga · 2776 days ago · 152 km deep · 83 km away
Before
- 4.7137 km SSW of Hihifo, Tonga · 2834 days ago · 140 km deep · 44 km away
- 4.292 km S of Hihifo, Tonga · 2834 days ago · 156 km deep · 57 km away
- 4.766 km NNE of Neiafu, Tonga · 2842 days ago · 36 km deep · 91 km away · felt by 1
- 5.375 km SSE of Hihifo, Tonga · 2852 days ago · 20 km deep · 91 km away
- 4.7100 km SSE of Hihifo, Tonga · 2856 days ago · 35 km deep · 96 km away
Earthquakes todayTonga earthquakesLive radar here
Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event us2000ixpr (also filed as pt18360000, iscgem618192308). Read Mon, Sep 28, 2026, 12:04 AM UTC.