Tonga earthquakes

M5.3 earthquake 203 km E of Neiafu, Tonga

A magnitude 5.3 earthquake struck 203 km E of Neiafu, Tonga on Sat, Oct 19, 2019, 12:53 AM GMT-11 (11:53 UTC), 10 km (6 mi) below the surface.

Map

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

Open the live map with earthquakes

The earthquake

Magnitude: 5.3 (Mww, W-phase moment), moderate
Magnitude from: USGS National Earthquake Information Center
Local time: Sat, Oct 19, 2019, 12:53 AM GMT-11
UTC: 2019-10-19 11:53:11 UTC
Depth: 10.0 km (6.2 mi), shallow
Epicenter: 18.966° S, 172.086° 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
5.3	Mww, W-phase moment	USGS National Earthquake Information Center	Preferred · Reviewed · ±0.075 · 17 stations
5.2	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: Normal
Moment magnitude: 5.3 Mww
Nodal plane 1: Strike 39°, dip 21°, rake -67°
Nodal plane 2: Strike 194°, dip 70°, rake -99°

How well it is located

Reviewed by a seismologist.

Location uncertainty: About 6.7 km horizontally, 1.9 km in depth
Magnitude uncertainty: ±0.07
Depth from: Operator assigned
Station coverage gap: 78°
Stations used: 41

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 2.3 and up: 14 in the 60 days after this one and 15 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 us70005vy0 (also filed as iscgem616679784). Read Thu, Oct 1, 2026, 4:35 AM UTC.