Tonga earthquakes

M5.1 earthquake 113 km SE of Neiafu, Tonga

A magnitude 5.1 earthquake struck 113 km SE of Neiafu, Tonga on Sat, Apr 4, 2020, 10:24 PM GMT+13 (09:24 UTC), 10 km (6 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M5.2 129 km SE of Neiafu, Tonga. This one was a foreshock.

Nuku‘alofa forecast More in Tonga

Map

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

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The earthquake

Magnitude: 5.1 (Mww, W-phase moment), moderate
Magnitude from: USGS National Earthquake Information Center
Local time: Sat, Apr 4, 2020, 10:24 PM GMT+13
UTC: 2020-04-04 09:24:18 UTC
Depth: 10.0 km (6.2 mi), shallow
Epicenter: 19.402° S, 173.252° 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 · ±0.093 · 11 stations
5.07	Mw, moment	ISC-GEM global catalog	Final · ±0.1

Did you feel it?

No one has reported feeling this quake to the USGS.

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: 5.1 Mww
Nodal plane 1: Strike 3°, dip 24°, rake 73°
Nodal plane 2: Strike 202°, dip 67°, rake 97°

How well it is located

Reviewed by a seismologist.

Location uncertainty: About 9.2 km horizontally, 1.8 km in depth
Magnitude uncertainty: ±0.09
Depth from: Operator assigned
Station coverage gap: 41°
Stations used: 67

Nearest places

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

Nuku‘alofa, TongaPopulation 22,400. Forecast280 kmNE

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 2.1 and up: 21 in the 60 days after this one and 8 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 us70008ni4 (also filed as iscgem617833700). Read Mon, Oct 5, 2026, 9:34 AM UTC.