Tonga earthquakes

M5.1 earthquake 95 km SSE of Pangai, Tonga

A magnitude 5.1 earthquake struck 95 km SSE of Pangai, Tonga on Fri, Jul 5, 2019, 7:38 PM GMT+13 (06:38 UTC), 10 km (6 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M5.3 121 km ENE of ‘Ohonua, 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: 5.1 (Mww, W-phase moment), moderate
Magnitude from: USGS National Earthquake Information Center
Local time: Fri, Jul 5, 2019, 7:38 PM GMT+13
UTC: 2019-07-05 06:38:14 UTC
Depth: 10.0 km (6.2 mi), shallow
Epicenter: 20.549° S, 173.883° 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
5.1	Mww, W-phase moment	USGS National Earthquake Information Center	Preferred · Reviewed · ±0.089 · 12 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: Reverse (thrust)
Moment magnitude: 5.1 Mww
Nodal plane 1: Strike 194°, dip 15°, rake 80°
Nodal plane 2: Strike 24°, dip 75°, rake 93°

How well it is located

Reviewed by a seismologist.

Location uncertainty: About 11.1 km horizontally, 1.9 km in depth
Magnitude uncertainty: ±0.09
Depth from: Operator assigned
Station coverage gap: 103°
Stations used: 80

Nearest places

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

Nuku‘alofa, TongaPopulation 22,400. Forecast152 kmENE

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 2.1 and up: 7 in the 60 days after this one and 12 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 us70004as7 (also filed as iscgem616043032). Read Fri, Oct 2, 2026, 2:39 PM UTC.