Tonga earthquakes

M5.2 earthquake 143 km E of Neiafu, Tonga

A magnitude 5.2 earthquake struck 143 km E of Neiafu, Tonga on Sat, Oct 12, 2019, 7:52 AM GMT+13 (18:52 UTC), 10 km (6 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M5.4 204 km ENE of Neiafu, Tonga. This one was a foreshock.

Nuku‘alofa 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: Sat, Oct 12, 2019, 7:52 AM GMT+13
UTC: 2019-10-11 18:52:40 UTC
Depth: 10.0 km (6.2 mi), shallow
Epicenter: 18.674° S, 172.624° 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 · ±0.089 · 12 stations
5.24	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: Reverse (thrust)
Moment magnitude: 5.2 Mww
Nodal plane 1: Strike 217°, dip 37°, rake 96°
Nodal plane 2: Strike 29°, dip 53°, rake 86°

How well it is located

Reviewed by a seismologist.

Location uncertainty: About 7.4 km horizontally, 1.8 km in depth
Magnitude uncertainty: ±0.09
Depth from: Operator assigned
Station coverage gap: 81°
Stations used: 64

Nearest places

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

Nuku‘alofa, TongaPopulation 22,400. Forecast384 kmNE

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 2.2 and up: 20 in the 60 days after this one and 13 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 us70005ti3 (also filed as iscgem616623189). Read Fri, Oct 2, 2026, 7:00 PM UTC.