M5.8 earthquake 171 km NW of Hihifo, Tonga
A magnitude 5.8 earthquake struck 171 km NW of Hihifo, Tonga on Sat, Dec 7, 2019, 5:42 AM GMT+14 (15:42 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
- 5.8 (mww), moderate
- Local time
- UTC
- 2019-12-06 15:42:44 UTC
- Depth
- 10.0 km (6.2 mi), shallow
- Epicenter
- 15.023° S, 175.079° W
- Region
- Tonga
- 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
- 2.1% 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
- Strike-slip
- Moment magnitude
- 5.8 Mww
- Nodal plane 1
- Strike 23°, dip 72°, rake -162°
- Nodal plane 2
- Strike 287°, dip 73°, rake -19°
How well it is located
Reviewed by a seismologist.
- Location uncertainty
- About 7.5 km horizontally, 1.8 km in depth
- Magnitude uncertainty
- ±0.10
- Depth from
- Operator assigned
- Station coverage gap
- 44°
- Stations used
- 75
Nearest places
Distance and direction from each place to the epicenter, with its forecast.
Nearby
Within 100 km, magnitude 2.8 and up: 4 in the 60 days after this one and 5 in the 30 days before it.
After
- 4.4118 km NW of Hihifo, Tonga · 2478 days ago · 178 km deep · 66 km away
- 4.4101 km WNW of Hihifo, Tonga · 2442 days ago · 166 km deep · 83 km away
- 4.678 km WNW of Hihifo, Tonga · 2438 days ago · 129 km deep · 98 km away
- 4.2Tonga · 2437 days ago · 262 km deep · 27 km away
Before
- 5.0151 km WNW of Hihifo, Tonga · 2490 days ago · 10 km deep · 64 km away
- 6.0159 km WNW of Hihifo, Tonga · 2490 days ago · 10 km deep · 26 km away · felt by 1
- 5.1117 km WNW of Hihifo, Tonga · 2491 days ago · 10 km deep · 81 km away
- 4.5138 km WNW of Hihifo, Tonga · 2507 days ago · 10 km deep · 51 km away
- 4.3144 km NW of Hihifo, Tonga · 2520 days ago · 231 km deep · 27 km away
Earthquakes todayTonga earthquakesLive radar here
Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event us60006n2z (also filed as pt19340001, iscgem616967520). Read Wed, Sep 30, 2026, 9:44 PM UTC.