Tonga earthquakes

M5.2 earthquake 126 km NE of Hihifo, Tonga

A magnitude 5.2 earthquake struck 126 km NE of Hihifo, Tonga on Thu, Oct 10, 2019, 11:26 AM GMT+14 (21:26 UTC), 10 km (6 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M5.9 121 km NE of Hihifo, Tonga. This one was a foreshock.

Apia forecast More in Tonga

Map

Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.

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The earthquake

Magnitude: 5.2 (Mww, W-phase moment), moderate
Magnitude from: USGS National Earthquake Information Center
Local time: Thu, Oct 10, 2019, 11:26 AM GMT+14
UTC: 2019-10-09 21:26:09 UTC
Depth: 10.0 km (6.2 mi), shallow
Epicenter: 15.307° S, 172.820° W
Region: Tonga
Tsunami flag: No
Status: Reviewed by a seismologist

Magnitude estimates

Different scales measure different things and differ by a few tenths. The USGS marks one as preferred, and it is the one this page uses.

Mag.	Scale	Computed by	Notes
5.2	Mww, W-phase moment	USGS National Earthquake Information Center	Preferred · Reviewed · ±0.098 · 10 stations
5.25	Mw, moment	ISC-GEM global catalog	Final · ±0.1

Did you feel it?

No one has reported feeling this quake to the USGS.

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: 5.2 Mww
Nodal plane 1: Strike 163°, dip 27°, rake 43°
Nodal plane 2: Strike 33°, dip 72°, rake 110°

How well it is located

Reviewed by a seismologist.

Location uncertainty: About 6.8 km horizontally, 1.7 km in depth
Magnitude uncertainty: ±0.10
Depth from: Operator assigned
Station coverage gap: 61°
Stations used: 111

Nearest places

Distance and direction from each place to the epicenter, with its forecast.

Apia, SamoaPopulation 40,407. Forecast199 kmSW

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 2.2 and up: 14 in the 60 days after this one and 4 in the 30 days before it.

After

Before

Earthquakes today Tonga earthquakes Live radar here

Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event us70005ssi (also filed as iscgem616620320). Read Fri, Oct 2, 2026, 6:02 PM UTC.