M5.8 earthquake 103 km E of Hihifo, Tonga
A magnitude 5.8 earthquake struck 103 km E of Hihifo, Tonga on Fri, Nov 8, 2019, 11:41 PM GMT+14 (09:41 UTC), 43 km (27 mi) below the surface.
Map
Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.
The earthquake
- Magnitude
- 5.8 (mww), moderate
- Local time
- UTC
- 2019-11-08 09:41:14 UTC
- Depth
- 43.0 km (26.7 mi), shallow
- Epicenter
- 15.781° S, 172.851° W
- Region
- Tonga
- Felt reports
- 11
- Strongest shaking
- IV, light 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.
- Strongest estimated
- IV, light shaking
- Peak ground acceleration
- 1.3% of gravity
- Peak ground velocity
- 0.2 cm/s
- Map
- Automatic
Did you feel it?
11 people reported to the USGS what they felt; the strongest reported shaking was IV, light 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 | 76% |
| 1 to 10 | 24% |
| 10 to 100 | Under 1% |
| 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 | 76% |
| 1 to 10 | 24% |
| 10 to 100 | Under 1% |
| 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 reverse
- Moment magnitude
- 5.8 Mww
- Nodal plane 1
- Strike 202°, dip 16°, rake 133°
- Nodal plane 2
- Strike 338°, dip 78°, rake 79°
How well it is located
Reviewed by a seismologist.
- Location uncertainty
- About 7.9 km horizontally, 1.9 km in depth
- Magnitude uncertainty
- ±0.07
- Depth from
- From modeling of broad-band P waveforms
- Station coverage gap
- 44°
- Stations used
- 103
Nearest places
Distance and direction from each place to the epicenter, with its forecast.
Nearby
Within 100 km, magnitude 2.8 and up: 9 in the 60 days after this one and 7 in the 30 days before it.
After
- 5.280 km ENE of Hihifo, Tonga · 2518 days ago · 10 km deep · 30 km away
- 4.693 km NE of Hihifo, Tonga · 2515 days ago · 10 km deep · 69 km away
- 4.4135 km SSW of Gataivai, Samoa · 2506 days ago · 10 km deep · 93 km away
- 5.292 km NNE of Hihifo, Tonga · 2503 days ago · 10 km deep · 84 km away · felt by 1
- 4.3141 km E of Hihifo, Tonga · 2496 days ago · 10 km deep · 45 km away
- 4.668 km SE of Hihifo, Tonga · 2493 days ago · 43 km deep · 99 km away
- 4.6108 km NNE of Hihifo, Tonga · 2486 days ago · 10 km deep · 92 km away
- 4.9116 km NE of Hihifo, Tonga · 2480 days ago · 10 km deep · 67 km away
- 4.575 km NE of Hihifo, Tonga · 2472 days ago · 10 km deep · 73 km away
Before
- 4.586 km NE of Hihifo, Tonga · 2527 days ago · 10 km deep · 63 km away
- 4.3109 km NE of Hihifo, Tonga · 2533 days ago · 10 km deep · 47 km away
- 4.9143 km NE of Hihifo, Tonga · 2535 days ago · 10 km deep · 82 km away
- 4.5109 km NE of Hihifo, Tonga · 2535 days ago · 10 km deep · 51 km away
- 5.9121 km NE of Hihifo, Tonga · 2535 days ago · 29 km deep · 70 km away · felt by 4
- 4.9155 km SSW of Lotofag?, Samoa · 2539 days ago · 10 km deep · 77 km away
- 5.2126 km NE of Hihifo, Tonga · 2548 days ago · 10 km deep · 53 km away
Earthquakes todayTonga earthquakesLive radar here
Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event us6000692t (also filed as pt19312050, iscgem616765508). Read Wed, Sep 30, 2026, 3:30 PM UTC.