M5.9 earthquake 152 km NW of Neiafu, Tonga
A magnitude 5.9 earthquake struck 152 km NW of Neiafu, Tonga on Fri, Dec 11, 2020, 9:48 AM GMT+13 (20:48 UTC), 10 km (6 mi) below the surface.
Map
Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.
The earthquake
- Magnitude
- 5.9 (mwb), moderate
- Local time
- UTC
- 2020-12-10 20:48:57 UTC
- Depth
- 10.0 km (6.2 mi), shallow
- Epicenter
- 17.563° S, 174.870° W
- Region
- Tonga
- 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
- 0.7% of gravity
- Peak ground velocity
- -0.2 cm/s
- Map
- Automatic
Did you feel it?
No one has reported feeling this quake to the USGS.
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
- Normal
- Moment magnitude
- 5.9 Mwb
- Nodal plane 1
- Strike 203°, dip 60°, rake -102°
- Nodal plane 2
- Strike 46°, dip 32°, rake -71°
How well it is located
Reviewed by a seismologist.
- Location uncertainty
- About 5.9 km horizontally, 1.7 km in depth
- Magnitude uncertainty
- ±0.04
- Depth from
- Operator assigned
- Station coverage gap
- 37°
- Stations used
- 94
Nearest places
Distance and direction from each place to the epicenter, with its forecast.
Nearby
Within 100 km, magnitude 2.9 and up: 4 in the 60 days after this one and 7 in the 30 days before it.
After
- 4.7204 km SW of Hihifo, Tonga · 2120 days ago · 10 km deep · 61 km away
- 4.3135 km SSW of Hihifo, Tonga · 2115 days ago · 84 km deep · 85 km away
- 4.8143 km SSW of Hihifo, Tonga · 2074 days ago · 92 km deep · 90 km away
- 4.9148 km SSW of Hihifo, Tonga · 2062 days ago · 157 km deep · 69 km away
Before
- 4.6125 km NNW of Neiafu, Tonga · 2129 days ago · 10 km deep · 33 km away
- 4.296 km NW of Neiafu, Tonga · 2131 days ago · 59 km deep · 60 km away
- 5.0142 km NNW of Neiafu, Tonga · 2131 days ago · 10 km deep · 24 km away
- 5.6136 km NW of Neiafu, Tonga · 2131 days ago · 10 km deep · 17 km away
- 4.4119 km WNW of Neiafu, Tonga · 2131 days ago · 252 km deep · 66 km away
- 4.4170 km WNW of Neiafu, Tonga · 2144 days ago · 218 km deep · 86 km away
- 4.9133 km SSW of Hihifo, Tonga · 2150 days ago · 134 km deep · 91 km away
Earthquakes todayTonga earthquakesLive radar here
Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event us7000cpx6 (also filed as usauto7000cpxb, iscgem619601323). Read Wed, Sep 30, 2026, 5:08 PM UTC.