M6.0 earthquake 171 km E of Hihifo, Tonga
A magnitude 6.0 earthquake struck 171 km E of Hihifo, Tonga on Wed, Mar 18, 2020, 6:06 AM GMT+14 (16:06 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
- 6.0 (mww), strong
- Local time
- UTC
- 2020-03-17 16:06:22 UTC
- Depth
- 10.0 km (6.2 mi), shallow
- Epicenter
- 16.025° S, 172.191° W
- Region
- Tonga
- Felt reports
- 9
- Strongest shaking
- I, not felt 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.
- Map
- Automatic
Did you feel it?
9 people reported to the USGS what they felt; the strongest reported shaking was IV, light shaking.
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
| 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% |
| 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 28°, dip 40°, rake -50°
- Nodal plane 2
- Strike 160°, dip 61°, rake -118°
How well it is located
Reviewed by a seismologist.
- Location uncertainty
- About 7.8 km horizontally, 1.8 km in depth
- Magnitude uncertainty
- ±0.06
- Depth from
- Operator assigned
- Station coverage gap
- 42°
- Stations used
- 73
Nearest places
Distance and direction from each place to the epicenter, with its forecast.
Nearby
Within 100 km, magnitude 3.0 and up: 5 in the 60 days after this one and 3 in the 30 days before it.
After
- 4.1157 km ESE of Hihifo, Tonga · 2373 days ago · 91 km deep · 87 km away
- 4.698 km ENE of Hihifo, Tonga · 2373 days ago · 10 km deep · 88 km away
- 5.2107 km ESE of Hihifo, Tonga · 2347 days ago · 10 km deep · 86 km away
- 5.698 km ENE of Hihifo, Tonga · 2329 days ago · 24 km deep · 80 km away
- 4.6214 km E of Hihifo, Tonga · 2329 days ago · 10 km deep · 46 km away
Before
Earthquakes todayTonga earthquakesLive radar here
Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event us60008h76 (also filed as pt20077001, iscgem617796709). Read Wed, Sep 30, 2026, 7:27 PM UTC.