M6.0 earthquake 159 km WNW of Hihifo, Tonga
A magnitude 6.0 earthquake struck 159 km WNW of Hihifo, Tonga on Sat, Dec 7, 2019, 3:04 AM GMT+14 (13:04 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
- 6.0 (mww), strong
- Local time
- UTC
- 2019-12-06 13:04:46 UTC
- Depth
- 10.0 km (6.2 mi), shallow
- Epicenter
- 15.259° S, 175.103° W
- Region
- Tonga
- Felt reports
- 1
- 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
- 3.8% of gravity
- Peak ground velocity
- 1.2 cm/s
- Map
- Automatic
Did you feel it?
1 person reported to the USGS what they felt; the strongest reported shaking was II, weak 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 | 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
- Strike-slip
- Moment magnitude
- 6.0 Mww
- Nodal plane 1
- Strike 304°, dip 81°, rake 6°
- Nodal plane 2
- Strike 213°, dip 84°, rake 171°
- Landslide alert
- Green
- Liquefaction alert
- Green
How well it is located
Reviewed by a seismologist.
- Location uncertainty
- About 6.5 km horizontally, 1.6 km in depth
- Magnitude uncertainty
- ±0.09
- Depth from
- Operator assigned
- Station coverage gap
- 47°
- Stations used
- 68
Nearest places
Distance and direction from each place to the epicenter, with its forecast.
Nearby
Within 100 km, magnitude 3.0 and up: 8 in the 60 days after this one and 3 in the 30 days before it.
After
- 5.0151 km WNW of Hihifo, Tonga · 2491 days ago · 10 km deep · 38 km away
- 5.8171 km NW of Hihifo, Tonga · 2490 days ago · 10 km deep · 26 km away
- 4.4118 km NW of Hihifo, Tonga · 2479 days ago · 178 km deep · 70 km away
- 4.1115 km W of Hihifo, Tonga · 2452 days ago · 295 km deep · 99 km away
- 4.4101 km WNW of Hihifo, Tonga · 2442 days ago · 166 km deep · 63 km away
- 4.4125 km W of Hihifo, Tonga · 2441 days ago · 296 km deep · 84 km away
- 4.678 km WNW of Hihifo, Tonga · 2438 days ago · 129 km deep · 82 km away
- 4.2Tonga · 2437 days ago · 262 km deep · 28 km away
Before
Earthquakes todayTonga earthquakesLive radar here
Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event us60006n19 (also filed as pt19340000, iscgem616967517). Read Thu, Oct 1, 2026, 1:38 AM UTC.