M5.4 earthquake 125 km WNW of Hihifo, Tonga
A magnitude 5.4 earthquake struck 125 km WNW of Hihifo, Tonga on Sat, Feb 2, 2019, 9:02 PM GMT+14 (07:02 UTC), 273 km (169 mi) below the surface.
Map
Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.
The earthquake
- Magnitude
- 5.4 (mww), moderate
- Local time
- UTC
- 2019-02-02 07:02:02 UTC
- Depth
- 272.6 km (169.4 mi), intermediate-depth
- Epicenter
- 15.654° S, 174.926° 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
- Oblique normal
- Moment magnitude
- 5.4 Mww
- Nodal plane 1
- Strike 167°, dip 22°, rake -122°
- Nodal plane 2
- Strike 21°, dip 71°, rake -78°
How well it is located
Reviewed by a seismologist.
- Location uncertainty
- About 9.0 km horizontally, 5.3 km in depth
- Magnitude uncertainty
- ±0.07
- Depth from
- From location
- Station coverage gap
- 54°
- Stations used
- 167
Nearest places
Distance and direction from each place to the epicenter, with its forecast.
Nearby
Within 100 km, magnitude 2.4 and up: 3 in the 60 days after this one and 0 in the 30 days before it.
After
Earthquakes todayTonga earthquakesLive radar here
Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event us2000jca7 (also filed as pt19033051, iscgem614609994). Read Mon, Sep 28, 2026, 6:34 AM UTC.