M5.4 earthquake 125 km NE of Hihifo, Tonga
A magnitude 5.4 earthquake struck 125 km NE of Hihifo, Tonga on Wed, May 6, 2020, 12:20 PM GMT+13 (23:20 UTC), 10 km (6 mi) below the surface.
A larger quake followed: M5.7 87 km ENE 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
- 5.4 (mww), moderate
- Local time
- UTC
- 2020-05-05 23:20:39 UTC
- Depth
- 10.0 km (6.2 mi), shallow
- Epicenter
- 15.252° S, 172.875° W
- Region
- Tonga
- Felt reports
- 3
- 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
- 0.5% of gravity
- Peak ground velocity
- -0.8 cm/s
- Map
- Automatic
Did you feel it?
3 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
- Strike-slip
- Moment magnitude
- 5.4 Mww
- Nodal plane 1
- Strike 255°, dip 49°, rake -173°
- Nodal plane 2
- Strike 160°, dip 84°, rake -41°
How well it is located
Reviewed by a seismologist.
- Location uncertainty
- About 8.8 km horizontally, 1.8 km in depth
- Magnitude uncertainty
- ±0.09
- Depth from
- Operator assigned
- Station coverage gap
- 28°
- Stations used
- 149
Nearest places
Distance and direction from each place to the epicenter, with its forecast.
Nearby
Within 100 km, magnitude 2.4 and up: 6 in the 60 days after this one and 8 in the 30 days before it.
After
- 5.787 km ENE of Hihifo, Tonga · 2329 days ago · 10 km deep · 43 km away
- 5.698 km ENE of Hihifo, Tonga · 2329 days ago · 24 km deep · 59 km away
- 4.7109 km NNE of Hihifo, Tonga · 2324 days ago · 10 km deep · 45 km away
- 4.6110 km ENE of Hihifo, Tonga · 2322 days ago · 10 km deep · 31 km away
- 4.888 km NE of Hihifo, Tonga · 2306 days ago · 10 km deep · 42 km away
- 4.975 km E of Hihifo, Tonga · 2295 days ago · 35 km deep · 95 km away
Before
- 4.788 km ENE of Hihifo, Tonga · 2340 days ago · 10 km deep · 40 km away
- 4.397 km NE of Hihifo, Tonga · 2340 days ago · 161 km deep · 30 km away
- 4.669 km ENE of Hihifo, Tonga · 2343 days ago · 10 km deep · 59 km away
- 4.587 km NE of Hihifo, Tonga · 2350 days ago · 10 km deep · 41 km away
- 4.654 km N of Hihifo, Tonga · 2354 days ago · 76 km deep · 93 km away
- 5.393 km NNE of Hihifo, Tonga · 2360 days ago · 22 km deep · 54 km away
- 4.249 km NNE of Hihifo, Tonga · 2361 days ago · 88 km deep · 92 km away
- 5.295 km NE of Hihifo, Tonga · 2368 days ago · 10 km deep · 42 km away
Earthquakes todayTonga earthquakesLive radar here
Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event us70009arc (also filed as pt20126001, iscgem618230022). Read Thu, Oct 1, 2026, 12:43 AM UTC.