M5.9 earthquake 76 km NNE of Hihifo, Tonga
A magnitude 5.9 earthquake struck 76 km NNE of Hihifo, Tonga on Mon, Oct 26, 2020, 1:47 AM GMT+14 (11:47 UTC), 39 km (24 mi) below the surface.
A larger quake followed: M6.2 83 km NNE of Hihifo, Tonga. This one was a foreshock.
Map
Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.
The earthquake
- Magnitude
- 5.9 (mww), moderate
- Local time
- UTC
- 2020-10-25 11:47:37 UTC
- Depth
- 39.0 km (24.2 mi), shallow
- Epicenter
- 15.363° S, 173.424° W
- Region
- Tonga
- Felt reports
- 9
- Strongest shaking
- IV, light 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
- IV, light shaking
- Peak ground acceleration
- 2.3% of gravity
- Peak ground velocity
- 0.7 cm/s
- 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
- Reverse (thrust)
- Moment magnitude
- 5.9 Mww
- Nodal plane 1
- Strike 141°, dip 12°, rake 94°
- Nodal plane 2
- Strike 317°, dip 78°, rake 89°
How well it is located
Reviewed by a seismologist.
- Location uncertainty
- About 7.9 km horizontally, 1.9 km in depth
- Magnitude uncertainty
- ±0.07
- Depth from
- From modeling of broad-band P waveforms
- Station coverage gap
- 58°
- Stations used
- 123
Nearest places
Distance and direction from each place to the epicenter, with its forecast.
Nearby
Within 100 km, magnitude 2.9 and up: 13 in the 60 days after this one and 3 in the 30 days before it.
After
- 4.783 km NE of Hihifo, Tonga · 2167 days ago · 35 km deep · 19 km away
- 4.284 km NNW of Hihifo, Tonga · 2163 days ago · 10 km deep · 80 km away
- 4.4107 km NNE of Hihifo, Tonga · 2156 days ago · 10 km deep · 33 km away
- 6.283 km NNE of Hihifo, Tonga · 2154 days ago · 34 km deep · 17 km away · felt by 13
- 4.917 km ENE of Hihifo, Tonga · 2145 days ago · 10 km deep · 64 km away
- 4.6112 km N of Hihifo, Tonga · 2141 days ago · 10 km deep · 73 km away
- 4.478 km ESE of Hihifo, Tonga · 2136 days ago · 10 km deep · 94 km away
- 4.4129 km NE of Hihifo, Tonga · 2135 days ago · 10 km deep · 53 km away
- 4.1132 km ENE of Hihifo, Tonga · 2133 days ago · 10 km deep · 84 km away
- 4.7101 km NNE of Hihifo, Tonga · 2131 days ago · 8 km deep · 31 km away
- 5.2103 km NE of Hihifo, Tonga · 2129 days ago · 10 km deep · 30 km away · felt by 1
- 4.668 km ENE of Hihifo, Tonga · 2122 days ago · 10 km deep · 41 km away
- 4.9138 km NNE of Hihifo, Tonga · 2117 days ago · 10 km deep · 63 km away
Before
Earthquakes todayTonga earthquakesLive radar here
Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event us6000ccyh (also filed as pt20299001, at00qira3f, iscgem619504557). Read Thu, Oct 1, 2026, 12:45 AM UTC.