M5.3 earthquake 87 km SSE of Hihifo, Tonga
A magnitude 5.3 earthquake struck 87 km SSE of Hihifo, Tonga on Sat, Jul 31, 2021, 11:39 AM GMT+13 (22:39 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
- 5.3 (mb), moderate
- Local time
- UTC
- 2021-07-30 22:39:16 UTC
- Depth
- 10.0 km (6.2 mi), shallow
- Epicenter
- 16.731° S, 173.620° 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
- 0.6% of gravity
- Peak ground velocity
- -0.7 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% |
How well it is located
Reviewed by a seismologist.
- Location uncertainty
- About 10.3 km horizontally, 1.8 km in depth
- Magnitude uncertainty
- ±0.04
- Depth from
- Operator assigned
- Station coverage gap
- 31°
- Stations used
- 135
Nearest places
Distance and direction from each place to the epicenter, with its forecast.
Nearby
Within 100 km, magnitude 2.3 and up: 12 in the 60 days after this one and 4 in the 30 days before it.
After
- 5.0102 km SSE of Hihifo, Tonga · 1879 days ago · 35 km deep · 29 km away
- 4.666 km S of Hihifo, Tonga · 1879 days ago · 70 km deep · 25 km away
- 4.6Tonga · 1878 days ago · 130 km deep · 91 km away
- 4.551 km SE of Hihifo, Tonga · 1878 days ago · 65 km deep · 59 km away
- 4.9125 km N of Neiafu, Tonga · 1870 days ago · 57 km deep · 91 km away
- 4.3138 km SSW of Hihifo, Tonga · 1867 days ago · 110 km deep · 80 km away
- 4.386 km SSW of Hihifo, Tonga · 1865 days ago · 70 km deep · 65 km away
- 4.6Tonga · 1863 days ago · 69 km deep · 77 km away
- 4.86 km S of Hihifo, Tonga · 1849 days ago · 82 km deep · 82 km away
- 4.4115 km SSW of Hihifo, Tonga · 1840 days ago · 163 km deep · 54 km away
- 4.8174 km NE of Neiafu, Tonga · 1832 days ago · 10 km deep · 95 km away
- 4.557 km SE of Hihifo, Tonga · 1829 days ago · 57 km deep · 42 km away
Before
Earthquakes todayTonga earthquakesLive radar here
Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event us6000f0u9 (also filed as iscgem620923871). Read Wed, Sep 30, 2026, 5:31 AM UTC.