M5.6 earthquake 141 km S of ‘Ohonua, Tonga
A magnitude 5.6 earthquake struck 141 km S of ‘Ohonua, Tonga on Fri, Jun 22, 2018, 8:33 AM GMT+13 (19:33 UTC), 10 km (6 mi) below the surface.
Map
Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.
The earthquake
- Magnitude
- 5.6 (Mww, W-phase moment), moderate
- Magnitude from
- USGS National Earthquake Information Center
- Local time
- UTC
- 2018-06-21 19:33:09 UTC
- Depth
- 10.0 km (6.2 mi), shallow
- Epicenter
- 22.606° S, 174.897° 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5.6 | Mww, W-phase moment | USGS National Earthquake Information Center | Preferred · Reviewed · ±0.063 · 24 stations |
| 5.6 | Mw, moment | ISC-GEM global catalog | Final · ±0.1 |
| 5.5 | Mwb, body-wave moment | USGS National Earthquake Information Center | Moment tensor · Reviewed |
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
- Peak ground acceleration
- 53.0% of gravity
- Peak ground velocity
- 0.7 cm/s
- 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
| 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
- Reverse (thrust)
- Moment magnitude
- 5.6 Mww
- Nodal plane 1
- Strike 34°, dip 41°, rake 114°
- Nodal plane 2
- Strike 184°, dip 53°, rake 71°
- Landslide alert
- Green
- Liquefaction alert
- Green
How well it is located
Reviewed by a seismologist.
- Location uncertainty
- About 8.8 km horizontally, 1.8 km in depth
- Magnitude uncertainty
- ±0.06
- Depth from
- Operator assigned
- Station coverage gap
- 95°
- Stations used
- 84
Nearest places
Distance and direction from each place to the epicenter, with its forecast.
Nearby
Within 100 km, magnitude 2.6 and up: 4 in the 60 days after this one and 2 in the 30 days before it.
After
- 4.4140 km S of ‘Ohonua, Tonga · 3022 days ago · 10 km deep · 14 km away
- 4.5165 km SSE of ‘Ohonua, Tonga · 3001 days ago · 66 km deep · 85 km away
- 5.1237 km S of ‘Ohonua, Tonga · 2986 days ago · 10 km deep · 97 km away
- 4.5194 km SSE of ‘Ohonua, Tonga · 2969 days ago · 10 km deep · 80 km away
Before
Earthquakes todayTonga earthquakesLive radar here
Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event us1000exy4 (also filed as iscgem612152892). Read Thu, Oct 1, 2026, 9:46 PM UTC.