M5.3 earthquake 123 km N of Neiafu, Tonga
A magnitude 5.3 earthquake struck 123 km N of Neiafu, Tonga on Sat, May 16, 2020, 1:11 AM GMT-12 (13:11 UTC), 86 km (53 mi) below the surface.
Map
Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.
The earthquake
- Magnitude
- 5.3 (Mww, W-phase moment), moderate
- Magnitude from
- USGS National Earthquake Information Center
- Local time
- UTC
- 2020-05-16 13:11:13 UTC
- Depth
- 85.9 km (53.4 mi), intermediate-depth
- Epicenter
- 17.547° S, 174.151° W
- Region
- Tonga
- Felt reports
- 2
- 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5.3 | Mww, W-phase moment | USGS National Earthquake Information Center | Preferred · Reviewed · ±0.08 · 15 stations |
| 5.42 | Mw, moment | ISC-GEM global catalog | Final · ±0.1 |
Did you feel it?
2 people reported to the USGS what they felt; the strongest reported shaking was III, weak shaking.
How well it is located
Reviewed by a seismologist.
- Location uncertainty
- About 10.1 km horizontally, 4.5 km in depth
- Magnitude uncertainty
- ±0.08
- Depth from
- From location
- Station coverage gap
- 38°
- Stations used
- 81
Nearby
Within 100 km, magnitude 2.3 and up: 3 in the 60 days after this one and 2 in the 30 days before it.
After
- 4.5112 km NNW of Neiafu, Tonga · 2309 days ago · 149 km deep · 35 km away
- 4.2166 km NW of Neiafu, Tonga · 2302 days ago · 231 km deep · 90 km away
- 5.1144 km S of Hihifo, Tonga · 2274 days ago · 10 km deep · 39 km away
Before
Earthquakes todayTonga earthquakesLive radar here
Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event us70009i3p (also filed as iscgem618291375). Read Thu, Oct 1, 2026, 7:48 AM UTC.