M5.4 earthquake 16 km WNW of Neiafu, Tonga
A magnitude 5.4 earthquake struck 16 km WNW of Neiafu, Tonga on Wed, Sep 1, 2021, 9:21 PM GMT+13 (08:21 UTC), 29 km (18 mi) below the surface.
Map
Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.
The earthquake
- Magnitude
- 5.4 (mww), moderate
- Local time
- UTC
- 2021-09-01 08:21:03 UTC
- Depth
- 28.9 km (18.0 mi), shallow
- Epicenter
- 18.619° S, 174.138° W
- Region
- Tonga
- Felt reports
- 2
- Strongest shaking
- IV, light 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
- IV, light shaking
- Peak ground acceleration
- 4.9% of gravity
- Peak ground velocity
- 0.8 cm/s
- Map
- Automatic
Did you feel it?
2 people reported to the USGS what they felt; the strongest reported shaking was V, moderate 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 10.4 km horizontally, 2.7 km in depth
- Magnitude uncertainty
- ±0.07
- Depth from
- From location
- Station coverage gap
- 46°
- Stations used
- 94
Nearest places
Distance and direction from each place to the epicenter, with its forecast.
Nearby
Within 100 km, magnitude 2.4 and up: 4 in the 60 days after this one and 0 in the 30 days before it.
After
Earthquakes todayTonga earthquakesLive radar here
Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event us7000f6l2 (also filed as iscgem621012691). Read Wed, Sep 30, 2026, 9:38 AM UTC.