M5.6 earthquake 124 km SSE of Hihifo, Tonga
A magnitude 5.6 earthquake struck 124 km SSE of Hihifo, Tonga on Sat, Dec 25, 2021, 12:39 AM GMT-12 (12:39 UTC), 43 km (27 mi) below the surface.
Map
Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.
The earthquake
- Magnitude
- 5.6 (mww), moderate
- Local time
- UTC
- 2021-12-25 12:39:13 UTC
- Depth
- 43.0 km (26.7 mi), shallow
- Epicenter
- 17.042° S, 173.490° W
- Region
- Tonga
- Felt reports
- 5
- 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
- 0.4 cm/s
- Map
- Automatic
Did you feel it?
5 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% |
How well it is located
Reviewed by a seismologist.
- Location uncertainty
- About 8.9 km horizontally, 1.8 km in depth
- Magnitude uncertainty
- ±0.10
- Depth from
- From location
- Station coverage gap
- 27°
- Stations used
- 152
Nearby
Within 100 km, magnitude 2.6 and up: 9 in the 60 days after this one and 3 in the 30 days before it.
After
- 4.6126 km SSW of Hihifo, Tonga · 1733 days ago · 61 km deep · 77 km away
- 4.3120 km SSW of Hihifo, Tonga · 1727 days ago · 124 km deep · 64 km away
- 4.493 km SSW of Hihifo, Tonga · 1725 days ago · 112 km deep · 68 km away
- 4.6137 km N of Neiafu, Tonga · 1718 days ago · 109 km deep · 79 km away · felt by 1
- 4.6151 km SSW of Hihifo, Tonga · 1715 days ago · 69 km deep · 82 km away
- 4.670 km SSW of Hihifo, Tonga · 1704 days ago · 147 km deep · 93 km away
- 4.7122 km S of Hihifo, Tonga · 1702 days ago · 87 km deep · 53 km away
- 4.9102 km S of Hihifo, Tonga · 1698 days ago · 10 km deep · 28 km away · felt by 1
- 4.7143 km SSW of Hihifo, Tonga · 1698 days ago · 151 km deep · 88 km away
Before
Earthquakes todayTonga earthquakesLive radar here
Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event us6000gf7u (also filed as usauto6000gf7u, pt21359050, iscgem621653369). Read Wed, Sep 30, 2026, 9:38 AM UTC.