M5.5 earthquake 157 km SE of Hihifo, Tonga
A magnitude 5.5 earthquake struck 157 km SE of Hihifo, Tonga on Fri, Jun 18, 2021, 2:41 AM GMT+13 (13:41 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
- 5.5 (mww), moderate
- Local time
- UTC
- 2021-06-17 13:41:03 UTC
- Depth
- 10.0 km (6.2 mi), shallow
- Epicenter
- 16.986° S, 172.777° 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
- 0.4% of gravity
- Peak ground velocity
- -0.9 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
- Oblique reverse
- Moment magnitude
- 5.5 Mww
- Nodal plane 1
- Strike 185°, dip 24°, rake 40°
- Nodal plane 2
- Strike 57°, dip 75°, rake 108°
How well it is located
Reviewed by a seismologist.
- Location uncertainty
- About 9.4 km horizontally, 1.8 km in depth
- Magnitude uncertainty
- ±0.07
- Depth from
- Operator assigned
- Station coverage gap
- 73°
- Stations used
- 58
Nearest places
Distance and direction from each place to the epicenter, with its forecast.
Nearby
Within 100 km, magnitude 2.5 and up: 12 in the 60 days after this one and 4 in the 30 days before it.
After
- 4.7181 km ESE of Hihifo, Tonga · 1931 days ago · 10 km deep · 45 km away
- 4.7139 km ESE of Hihifo, Tonga · 1927 days ago · 10 km deep · 48 km away
- 4.5138 km S of Hihifo, Tonga · 1918 days ago · 10 km deep · 97 km away
- 4.4164 km ESE of Hihifo, Tonga · 1908 days ago · 10 km deep · 88 km away
- 4.7172 km ESE of Hihifo, Tonga · 1906 days ago · 10 km deep · 39 km away
- 5.4152 km NE of Neiafu, Tonga · 1902 days ago · 10 km deep · 74 km away
- 5.1228 km SE of Hihifo, Tonga · 1897 days ago · 10 km deep · 72 km away
- 4.8208 km SE of Hihifo, Tonga · 1894 days ago · 10 km deep · 50 km away
- 4.579 km SE of Hihifo, Tonga · 1893 days ago · 68 km deep · 80 km away
- 5.387 km SSE of Hihifo, Tonga · 1887 days ago · 10 km deep · 94 km away
- 4.8189 km NE of Neiafu, Tonga · 1883 days ago · 10 km deep · 62 km away
- 5.0102 km SSE of Hihifo, Tonga · 1879 days ago · 35 km deep · 65 km away
Before
Earthquakes todayTonga earthquakesLive radar here
Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event us7000edug (also filed as usauto7000edug, pt21168001, iscgem620531516). Read Wed, Sep 30, 2026, 5:31 AM UTC.