M5.5 earthquake Tonga region
A magnitude 5.5 earthquake struck in the Tonga region on Wed, Nov 7, 2018, 5:11 AM GMT+13 (16:11 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
- 5.5 (Mww, W-phase moment), moderate
- Magnitude from
- USGS National Earthquake Information Center
- Local time
- UTC
- 2018-11-06 16:11:39 UTC
- Depth
- 10.0 km (6.2 mi), shallow
- Epicenter
- 22.185° S, 174.530° 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 | Mww, W-phase moment | USGS National Earthquake Information Center | Preferred · Reviewed · ±0.061 · 26 stations |
| 5.65 | 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
- Peak ground acceleration
- 71.0% of gravity
- Peak ground velocity
- 0.6 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
- 5.5 Mww
- Nodal plane 1
- Strike 171°, dip 22°, rake 83°
- Nodal plane 2
- Strike 358°, dip 68°, rake 93°
How well it is located
Reviewed by a seismologist.
- Location uncertainty
- About 8.7 km horizontally, 1.8 km in depth
- Magnitude uncertainty
- ±0.06
- Depth from
- Operator assigned
- Station coverage gap
- 43°
- Stations used
- 71
Nearest places
Distance and direction from each place to the epicenter, with its forecast.
Nearby
Within 100 km, magnitude 2.5 and up: 11 in the 60 days after this one and 2 in the 30 days before it.
After
- 4.6159 km SSE of ‘Ohonua, Tonga · 2885 days ago · 10 km deep · 61 km away
- 5.0149 km SSE of ‘Ohonua, Tonga · 2880 days ago · 10 km deep · 46 km away
- 4.8130 km SSE of ‘Ohonua, Tonga · 2875 days ago · 10 km deep · 27 km away
- 4.7130 km SSE of ‘Ohonua, Tonga · 2874 days ago · 10 km deep · 28 km away
- 4.8173 km S of ‘Ohonua, Tonga · 2862 days ago · 10 km deep · 95 km away
- 5.1156 km S of ‘Ohonua, Tonga · 2858 days ago · 10 km deep · 63 km away
- 4.8186 km SSE of ‘Ohonua, Tonga · 2858 days ago · 10 km deep · 85 km away
- 4.4202 km SSE of ‘Ohonua, Tonga · 2858 days ago · 10 km deep · 100 km away
- 4.5173 km SSE of ‘Ohonua, Tonga · 2857 days ago · 10 km deep · 71 km away
- 4.8143 km SSE of ‘Ohonua, Tonga · 2856 days ago · 10 km deep · 43 km away
- 4.340 km SSE of ‘Ohonua, Tonga · 2856 days ago · 35 km deep · 64 km away
Before
Earthquakes todayTonga earthquakesLive radar here
Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event us2000i7iz (also filed as iscgem613568617). Read Thu, Oct 1, 2026, 6:28 AM UTC.