M5.0 earthquake 100 km NNE of Hihifo, Tonga
A magnitude 5.0 earthquake struck 100 km NNE of Hihifo, Tonga on Thu, Jan 24, 2019, 2:52 PM GMT+14 (00:52 UTC), 10 km (6 mi) below the surface.
A larger quake followed: M5.3 119 km NE of Hihifo, Tonga. This one was a foreshock.
Map
Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.
The earthquake
- Magnitude
- 5.0 (mww), moderate
- Local time
- UTC
- 2019-01-24 00:52:38 UTC
- Depth
- 10.0 km (6.2 mi), shallow
- Epicenter
- 15.144° S, 173.375° W
- Region
- Tonga
- 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?
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
- Normal
- Moment magnitude
- 5.0 Mww
- Nodal plane 1
- Strike 266°, dip 27°, rake -107°
- Nodal plane 2
- Strike 106°, dip 65°, rake -81°
How well it is located
Reviewed by a seismologist.
- Location uncertainty
- About 9.2 km horizontally, 1.7 km in depth
- Magnitude uncertainty
- ±0.10
- Depth from
- Operator assigned
- Station coverage gap
- 37°
- Stations used
- 166
Nearest places
Distance and direction from each place to the epicenter, with its forecast.
Nearby
Within 100 km, magnitude 2.0 and up: 12 in the 60 days after this one and 5 in the 30 days before it.
After
- 4.934 km NE of Hihifo, Tonga · 2803 days ago · 35 km deep · 66 km away
- 5.059 km NNE of Hihifo, Tonga · 2802 days ago · 93 km deep · 42 km away
- 5.3119 km NE of Hihifo, Tonga · 2798 days ago · 10 km deep · 38 km away
- 4.2128 km NE of Hihifo, Tonga · 2794 days ago · 10 km deep · 34 km away
- 5.198 km NNE of Hihifo, Tonga · 2787 days ago · 10 km deep · 13 km away · felt by 1
- 4.7131 km NE of Hihifo, Tonga · 2778 days ago · 10 km deep · 53 km away
- 4.7102 km NE of Hihifo, Tonga · 2775 days ago · 10 km deep · 22 km away
- 4.7140 km SSW of Gataivai, Samoa · 2765 days ago · 10 km deep · 73 km away
- 4.963 km NNW of Hihifo, Tonga · 2758 days ago · 41 km deep · 71 km away
- 4.3100 km NNE of Hihifo, Tonga · 2751 days ago · 10 km deep · 20 km away
- 4.682 km NE of Hihifo, Tonga · 2749 days ago · 10 km deep · 32 km away
- 4.7142 km NE of Hihifo, Tonga · 2747 days ago · 100 km deep · 74 km away
Before
- 4.9117 km NE of Hihifo, Tonga · 2806 days ago · 10 km deep · 26 km away
- 4.625 km NNW of Hihifo, Tonga · 2810 days ago · 47 km deep · 87 km away
- 4.4116 km NNE of Hihifo, Tonga · 2811 days ago · 10 km deep · 16 km away
- 4.5100 km NNE of Hihifo, Tonga · 2811 days ago · 9 km deep · 0 km away
- 5.1104 km NNE of Hihifo, Tonga · 2812 days ago · 10 km deep · 4 km away · felt by 2
Earthquakes todayTonga earthquakesLive radar here
Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event us2000j82f (also filed as iscgem614583613). Read Mon, Sep 28, 2026, 7:04 AM UTC.