Tonga earthquakes

M5.3 earthquake 93 km ESE of Neiafu, Tonga

A magnitude 5.3 earthquake struck 93 km ESE of Neiafu, Tonga on Fri, Feb 19, 2021, 5:04 AM GMT+13 (16:04 UTC), 10 km (6 mi) below the surface.

Nuku‘alofa forecastMore in Tonga

Map

Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.

Open the live map with earthquakes

The earthquake

Magnitude
5.3 (mww), moderate
Local time
UTC
2021-02-18 16:04:42 UTC
Depth
10.0 km (6.2 mi), shallow
Epicenter
19.083° S, 173.220° W
Region
Tonga
Tsunami flag
No
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

Did you feel it?

No one has reported feeling this quake to the USGS.

Fault motion and ground failure

How the rock slipped, from the moment tensor, and the USGS estimate of landslides and liquefaction.

Faulting
Reverse (thrust)
Moment magnitude
5.3 Mww
Nodal plane 1
Strike 193°, dip 41°, rake 80°
Nodal plane 2
Strike 26°, dip 50°, rake 98°

How well it is located

Reviewed by a seismologist.

Location uncertainty
About 9.0 km horizontally, 1.8 km in depth
Magnitude uncertainty
±0.10
Depth from
Operator assigned
Station coverage gap
94°
Stations used
57

Nearest places

Distance and direction from each place to the epicenter, with its forecast.

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 2.3 and up: 7 in the 60 days after this one and 2 in the 30 days before it.

After

Before

Earthquakes todayTonga earthquakesLive radar here

Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event us6000dip8 (also filed as iscgem619841658). Read Tue, Sep 29, 2026, 3:31 PM UTC.