Tonga earthquakes

M5.1 earthquake 25 km E of Hihifo, Tonga

A magnitude 5.1 earthquake struck 25 km E of Hihifo, Tonga on Thu, May 21, 2020, 2:46 AM GMT+13 (13:46 UTC), 42 km (26 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M5.4 123 km ESE of Hihifo, Tonga. This one was a foreshock.

Apia forecast More in Tonga

Map

Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.

Open the live map with earthquakes

The earthquake

Magnitude: 5.1 (Mww, W-phase moment), moderate
Magnitude from: USGS National Earthquake Information Center
Local time: Thu, May 21, 2020, 2:46 AM GMT+13
UTC: 2020-05-20 13:46:45 UTC
Depth: 41.7 km (25.9 mi), shallow
Epicenter: 15.980° S, 173.556° 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 · ±0.098 · 10 stations
5.14	Mw, moment	ISC-GEM global catalog	Final · ±0.1

Did you feel it?

No one has reported feeling this quake to the USGS.

How well it is located

Reviewed by a seismologist.

Location uncertainty: About 8.3 km horizontally, 6.5 km in depth
Magnitude uncertainty: ±0.10
Depth from: From location
Station coverage gap: 58°
Stations used: 108

Nearest places

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

Apia, SamoaPopulation 40,407. Forecast306 kmSW

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 2.1 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 us70009lpe (also filed as iscgem618298363). Read Fri, Oct 2, 2026, 7:15 PM UTC.