M6.0 earthquake 111 km SSE of ‘Ohonua, Tonga
A magnitude 6.0 earthquake struck 111 km SSE of ‘Ohonua, Tonga on Thu, May 28, 2020, 8:18 PM GMT+13 (07:18 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
- 6.0 (Mww, W-phase moment), strong
- Magnitude from
- USGS National Earthquake Information Center
- Local time
- UTC
- 2020-05-28 07:18:45 UTC
- Depth
- 10.0 km (6.2 mi), shallow
- Epicenter
- 22.215° S, 174.420° W
- Region
- Tonga
- Felt reports
- 3
- Strongest shaking
- IV, light shaking
- PAGER alert
- Green
- 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6.0 | Mww, W-phase moment | USGS National Earthquake Information Center | Preferred · Reviewed · ±0.051 · 37 stations |
| 5.94 | Mw, moment | ISC-GEM global catalog | Final · ±0.1 |
| 6.0 | Mi | NOAA National Tsunami Warning Center | First automatic solution · Reviewed · 3 stations |
| 6.1 | Mi | NOAA Pacific Tsunami Warning Center | First automatic solution · Reviewed · 3 stations |
| 5.9 | Mwb, body-wave moment | USGS National Earthquake Information Center | Moment tensor · Reviewed |
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
- 1.3% of gravity
- Peak ground velocity
- 0.1 cm/s
- Map
- Automatic
Did you feel it?
3 people reported to the USGS what they felt; the strongest reported shaking was III, weak 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
- Normal
- Moment magnitude
- 6.0 Mww
- Nodal plane 1
- Strike 58°, dip 27°, rake -69°
- Nodal plane 2
- Strike 214°, dip 65°, rake -100°
- Landslide alert
- Green
- Liquefaction alert
- Green
How well it is located
Reviewed by a seismologist.
- Location uncertainty
- About 8.3 km horizontally, 1.8 km in depth
- Magnitude uncertainty
- ±0.05
- Depth from
- From modeling of broad-band P waveforms
- Station coverage gap
- 21°
- Stations used
- 120
Nearest places
Distance and direction from each place to the epicenter, with its forecast.
Nearby
Within 100 km, magnitude 3.0 and up: 4 in the 60 days after this one and 2 in the 30 days before it.
After
- 4.5135 km SE of ‘Ohonua, Tonga · 2320 days ago · 10 km deep · 36 km away
- 4.558 km SSW of ‘Ohonua, Tonga · 2314 days ago · 35 km deep · 85 km away
- 4.883 km SSW of ‘Ohonua, Tonga · 2288 days ago · 35 km deep · 91 km away
- 4.6128 km S of ‘Ohonua, Tonga · 2285 days ago · 10 km deep · 73 km away
Before
Earthquakes todayTonga earthquakesLive radar here
Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event us6000a0um (also filed as pt20149000, at00qb15n9, iscgem618453655). Read Sun, Oct 4, 2026, 2:41 PM UTC.