M5.3 earthquake 121 km ENE of ‘Ohonua, Tonga
A magnitude 5.3 earthquake struck 121 km ENE of ‘Ohonua, Tonga on Sat, Aug 10, 2019, 6:45 AM GMT+13 (17:45 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
- 5.3 (Mww, W-phase moment), moderate
- Magnitude from
- USGS National Earthquake Information Center
- Local time
- UTC
- 2019-08-09 17:45:46 UTC
- Depth
- 10.0 km (6.2 mi), shallow
- Epicenter
- 21.061° S, 173.812° 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5.3 | Mww, W-phase moment | USGS National Earthquake Information Center | Preferred · Reviewed · ±0.086 · 13 stations |
| 5.32 | Mw, moment | ISC-GEM global catalog | Final · ±0.1 |
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.
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
- 5.3 Mww
- Nodal plane 1
- Strike 22°, dip 24°, rake 97°
- Nodal plane 2
- Strike 195°, dip 67°, rake 87°
How well it is located
Reviewed by a seismologist.
- Location uncertainty
- About 9.2 km horizontally, 1.9 km in depth
- Magnitude uncertainty
- ±0.09
- Depth from
- Operator assigned
- Station coverage gap
- 79°
- Stations used
- 68
Nearest places
Distance and direction from each place to the epicenter, with its forecast.
Nearby
Within 100 km, magnitude 2.3 and up: 5 in the 60 days after this one and 5 in the 30 days before it.
After
- 5.1125 km E of ‘Ohonua, Tonga · 2597 days ago · 10 km deep · 47 km away
- 5.1130 km E of ‘Ohonua, Tonga · 2596 days ago · 10 km deep · 42 km away · felt by 1
- 4.9117 km E of ‘Ohonua, Tonga · 2586 days ago · 10 km deep · 24 km away
- 4.1117 km SSE of Pangai, Tonga · 2576 days ago · 10 km deep · 41 km away
- 4.484 km SSE of Pangai, Tonga · 2566 days ago · 10 km deep · 66 km away
Before
- 4.6121 km ESE of ‘Ohonua, Tonga · 2612 days ago · 10 km deep · 95 km away
- 4.377 km E of ‘Ohonua, Tonga · 2620 days ago · 10 km deep · 51 km away
- 5.0125 km ESE of Pangai, Tonga · 2626 days ago · 10 km deep · 100 km away
- 4.471 km ESE of ‘Ohonua, Tonga · 2626 days ago · 10 km deep · 76 km away
- 4.8110 km SE of Pangai, Tonga · 2631 days ago · 10 km deep · 75 km away
Earthquakes todayTonga earthquakesLive radar here
Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event us600052zu (also filed as iscgem616223418). Read Fri, Oct 2, 2026, 12:50 PM UTC.