Tonga earthquakes

M6.0 earthquake 291 km WNW of Haveluloto, Tonga

A magnitude 6.0 earthquake struck 291 km WNW of Haveluloto, Tonga on Wed, Nov 11, 2020, 1:48 PM GMT+13 (00:48 UTC), 417 km (259 mi) below the surface.

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: 6.0 (mww), strong
Local time: Wed, Nov 11, 2020, 1:48 PM GMT+13
UTC: 2020-11-11 00:48:44 UTC
Depth: 417.0 km (259.1 mi), deep
Epicenter: 19.718° S, 177.561° W
Region: Tonga
Strongest shaking: III, weak shaking
PAGER alert: Green
Tsunami flag: No
Status: Reviewed by a seismologist

Shaking

The USGS ShakeMap: shaking estimated from seismic stations and the quake’s size, on the Modified Mercalli intensity scale.

Strongest estimated: III, weak shaking
Peak ground acceleration: 0.2% of gravity
Peak ground velocity: -2.6 cm/s
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.

Estimated impact

The USGS PAGER system estimates deaths and economic losses from the shaking and the population and buildings exposed to it.

Alert level: Green: little or no damage or loss of life expected

Deaths: estimated chance of each range
Range	Chance
Under 1	65%
1 to 10	30%
10 to 100	4%
100 to 1,000	Under 1%
1,000 to 10,000	Under 1%
10,000 to 100,000	Under 1%
100,000 to 10,000,000	Under 1%

Economic losses: estimated chance of each range
Range, million USD	Chance
Under 1	65%
1 to 10	30%
10 to 100	4%
100 to 1,000	Under 1%
1,000 to 10,000	Under 1%
10,000 to 100,000	Under 1%
100,000 to 10,000,000	Under 1%

Fault motion and ground failure

How the rock slipped, from the moment tensor, and the USGS estimate of landslides and liquefaction.

Faulting: Oblique normal
Moment magnitude: 6.0 Mww
Nodal plane 1: Strike 139°, dip 39°, rake -139°
Nodal plane 2: Strike 15°, dip 66°, rake -59°

How well it is located

Reviewed by a seismologist.

Location uncertainty: About 9.3 km horizontally, 1.9 km in depth
Magnitude uncertainty: ±0.06
Depth from: From modeling of broad-band P waveforms
Station coverage gap: 22°
Stations used: 215

Nearest places

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

Nuku‘alofa, TongaPopulation 22,400. Forecast292 kmWNW

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 3.0 and up: 17 in the 60 days after this one and 9 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 us7000cd6e (also filed as iscgem619646113). Read Mon, Sep 28, 2026, 6:32 PM UTC.