Tonga earthquakes

M5.4 earthquake 204 km ENE of Neiafu, Tonga

A magnitude 5.4 earthquake struck 204 km ENE of Neiafu, Tonga on Fri, Oct 18, 2019, 9:40 PM GMT-11 (08:40 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: 5.4 (Mww, W-phase moment), moderate
Magnitude from: USGS National Earthquake Information Center
Local time: Fri, Oct 18, 2019, 9:40 PM GMT-11
UTC: 2019-10-19 08:40:14 UTC
Depth: 10.0 km (6.2 mi), shallow
Epicenter: 18.264° S, 172.086° W
Region: Tonga
Strongest shaking: I, not felt shaking
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
5.4	Mww, W-phase moment	USGS National Earthquake Information Center	Preferred · Reviewed · ±0.071 · 19 stations
5.33	Mw, moment	ISC-GEM global catalog	Final · ±0.1
5.7	Mi	NOAA Pacific Tsunami Warning Center	Reviewed · 11 stations

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.

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: 5.4 Mww
Nodal plane 1: Strike 353°, dip 26°, rake -105°
Nodal plane 2: Strike 189°, dip 65°, rake -83°

How well it is located

Reviewed by a seismologist.

Location uncertainty: About 9.7 km horizontally, 1.9 km in depth
Magnitude uncertainty: ±0.07
Depth from: Operator assigned
Station coverage gap: 73°
Stations used: 55

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 2.4 and up: 21 in the 60 days after this one and 18 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 us70005vw9 (also filed as pt19292001, iscgem616679725). Read Fri, Oct 2, 2026, 10:25 PM UTC.