M6.2 earthquake 83 km NNE of Hihifo, Tonga
A magnitude 6.2 earthquake struck 83 km NNE of Hihifo, Tonga on Sat, Nov 7, 2020, 11:27 PM GMT+14 (09:27 UTC), 34 km (21 mi) below the surface.
Map
Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.
The earthquake
- Magnitude
- 6.2 (mww), strong
- Local time
- UTC
- 2020-11-07 09:27:05 UTC
- Depth
- 34.0 km (21.1 mi), shallow
- Epicenter
- 15.246° S, 173.528° W
- Region
- Tonga
- Felt reports
- 13
- 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
- 3.2% of gravity
- Peak ground velocity
- 1.1 cm/s
- Map
- Automatic
Did you feel it?
13 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
- 6.2 Mww
- Nodal plane 1
- Strike 114°, dip 4°, rake 95°
- Nodal plane 2
- Strike 289°, dip 86°, rake 90°
- Landslide alert
- Green
- Liquefaction alert
- Green
How well it is located
Reviewed by a seismologist.
- Location uncertainty
- About 8.7 km horizontally, 1.8 km in depth
- Magnitude uncertainty
- ±0.05
- Depth from
- Operator assigned
- Station coverage gap
- 41°
- Stations used
- 131
Nearest places
Distance and direction from each place to the epicenter, with its forecast.
Nearby
Within 100 km, magnitude 3.2 and up: 10 in the 60 days after this one and 5 in the 30 days before it.
After
- 4.917 km ENE of Hihifo, Tonga · 2145 days ago · 10 km deep · 74 km away
- 4.6112 km N of Hihifo, Tonga · 2141 days ago · 10 km deep · 56 km away
- 4.4129 km NE of Hihifo, Tonga · 2135 days ago · 10 km deep · 54 km away
- 4.1132 km ENE of Hihifo, Tonga · 2133 days ago · 10 km deep · 97 km away
- 4.7101 km NNE of Hihifo, Tonga · 2131 days ago · 8 km deep · 18 km away
- 5.2103 km NE of Hihifo, Tonga · 2129 days ago · 10 km deep · 37 km away · felt by 1
- 4.668 km ENE of Hihifo, Tonga · 2122 days ago · 10 km deep · 58 km away
- 4.9138 km NNE of Hihifo, Tonga · 2117 days ago · 10 km deep · 56 km away
- 4.313 km SE of Hihifo, Tonga · 2103 days ago · 98 km deep · 88 km away
- 4.6110 km NNE of Hihifo, Tonga · 2098 days ago · 47 km deep · 31 km away
Before
- 4.4107 km NNE of Hihifo, Tonga · 2155 days ago · 10 km deep · 26 km away
- 4.284 km NNW of Hihifo, Tonga · 2163 days ago · 10 km deep · 69 km away
- 4.783 km NE of Hihifo, Tonga · 2166 days ago · 35 km deep · 34 km away
- 5.976 km NNE of Hihifo, Tonga · 2166 days ago · 39 km deep · 17 km away · felt by 9
- 4.668 km N of Hihifo, Tonga · 2174 days ago · 64 km deep · 24 km away
Earthquakes todayTonga earthquakesLive radar here
Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event us7000cbr2 (also filed as pt20312002, at00qjf696, iscgem619646106). Read Wed, Sep 30, 2026, 9:29 PM UTC.