M5.5 earthquake 176 km NE of Neiafu, Tonga
A magnitude 5.5 earthquake struck 176 km NE of Neiafu, Tonga on Wed, Oct 23, 2019, 10:50 PM GMT-12 (10:50 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
- 5.5 (mww), moderate
- Local time
- UTC
- 2019-10-24 10:50:15 UTC
- Depth
- 10.0 km (6.2 mi), shallow
- Epicenter
- 17.628° S, 172.705° 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
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
- Reverse (thrust)
- Moment magnitude
- 5.5 Mww
- Nodal plane 1
- Strike 339°, dip 45°, rake 62°
- Nodal plane 2
- Strike 196°, dip 51°, rake 115°
How well it is located
Reviewed by a seismologist.
- Location uncertainty
- About 7.2 km horizontally, 1.7 km in depth
- Magnitude uncertainty
- ±0.07
- Depth from
- Operator assigned
- Station coverage gap
- 40°
- Stations used
- 159
Nearby
Within 100 km, magnitude 2.5 and up: 4 in the 60 days after this one and 10 in the 30 days before it.
After
- 4.5187 km SE of Hihifo, Tonga · 2532 days ago · 10 km deep · 39 km away
- 5.2201 km ENE of Neiafu, Tonga · 2526 days ago · 10 km deep · 34 km away
- 5.1188 km ENE of Neiafu, Tonga · 2500 days ago · 10 km deep · 36 km away
- 4.695 km NNE of Neiafu, Tonga · 2473 days ago · 10 km deep · 91 km away
Before
- 4.5202 km NE of Neiafu, Tonga · 2535 days ago · 10 km deep · 27 km away
- 4.5246 km ENE of Neiafu, Tonga · 2537 days ago · 10 km deep · 75 km away
- 4.3194 km E of Neiafu, Tonga · 2538 days ago · 10 km deep · 99 km away
- 4.4200 km ENE of Neiafu, Tonga · 2538 days ago · 10 km deep · 95 km away
- 4.5211 km ENE of Neiafu, Tonga · 2538 days ago · 10 km deep · 94 km away
- 4.3200 km ENE of Neiafu, Tonga · 2538 days ago · 10 km deep · 80 km away
- 4.6198 km ENE of Neiafu, Tonga · 2538 days ago · 10 km deep · 96 km away
- 5.4204 km ENE of Neiafu, Tonga · 2538 days ago · 10 km deep · 96 km away
- 4.4155 km SE of Hihifo, Tonga · 2543 days ago · 10 km deep · 68 km away
- 5.2181 km NE of Neiafu, Tonga · 2563 days ago · 10 km deep · 17 km away
Earthquakes todayTonga earthquakesLive radar here
Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event us6000624a (also filed as pt19297000, iscgem616720081). Read Wed, Sep 30, 2026, 6:31 PM UTC.