Tonga earthquakes

M5.3 earthquake 203 km ENE of Neiafu, Tonga

A magnitude 5.3 earthquake struck 203 km ENE of Neiafu, Tonga on Thu, Sep 19, 2019, 6:28 PM GMT-11 (05:28 UTC), 10 km (6 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M5.5 176 km NE of Neiafu, Tonga. This one was a foreshock.

Map

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

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The earthquake

Magnitude: 5.3 (mww), moderate
Local time: Thu, Sep 19, 2019, 6:28 PM GMT-11
UTC: 2019-09-20 05:28:25 UTC
Depth: 10.0 km (6.2 mi), shallow
Epicenter: 18.253° S, 172.100° 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

USGS ShakeMap: estimated shaking intensity around the epicenter — Estimated shaking intensity. Map: USGS ShakeMap.

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

Deaths: estimated chance of each range
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%

Economic losses: estimated chance of each range
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: Normal
Moment magnitude: 5.3 Mww
Nodal plane 1: Strike 355°, dip 22°, rake -119°
Nodal plane 2: Strike 205°, dip 71°, rake -79°

How well it is located

Reviewed by a seismologist.

Location uncertainty: About 9.3 km horizontally, 1.9 km in depth
Magnitude uncertainty: ±0.07
Depth from: Operator assigned
Station coverage gap: 69°
Stations used: 51

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 2.3 and up: 37 in the 60 days after this one and 1 in the 30 days before it.

After

Before

4.6218 km ENE of Neiafu, TongaTue, Sep 17, 2:42 PM GMT-11 · 2570 days ago · 10 km deep · 34 km away

Earthquakes today Tonga earthquakes Live radar here

Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event us60005l72 (also filed as iscgem616492307). Read Wed, Sep 30, 2026, 5:31 PM UTC.