M5.6 earthquake 127 km SSE of ‘Ohonua, Tonga
A magnitude 5.6 earthquake struck 127 km SSE of ‘Ohonua, Tonga on Sat, Aug 14, 2021, 10:50 PM GMT+13 (09:50 UTC), 10 km (6 mi) below the surface.
A larger quake followed: M5.9 83 km SSE of ‘Ohonua, Tonga. This one was a foreshock.
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
- 2021-08-14 09:50:13 UTC
- Depth
- 10.0 km (6.2 mi), shallow
- Epicenter
- 22.421° S, 174.552° 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
- 0.7% of gravity
- Peak ground velocity
- 0.5 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
- Reverse (thrust)
- Moment magnitude
- 5.6 Mww
- Nodal plane 1
- Strike 193°, dip 44°, rake 65°
- Nodal plane 2
- Strike 46°, dip 52°, rake 112°
How well it is located
Reviewed by a seismologist.
- Location uncertainty
- About 11.5 km horizontally, 1.9 km in depth
- Magnitude uncertainty
- ±0.06
- Depth from
- Operator assigned
- Station coverage gap
- 46°
- Stations used
- 79
Nearest places
Distance and direction from each place to the epicenter, with its forecast.
Nearby
Within 100 km, magnitude 2.6 and up: 10 in the 60 days after this one and 1 in the 30 days before it.
After
- 4.5154 km SE of ‘Ohonua, Tonga · 1872 days ago · 10 km deep · 75 km away
- 5.0113 km SSE of ‘Ohonua, Tonga · 1868 days ago · 10 km deep · 14 km away
- 4.8158 km SSE of ‘Ohonua, Tonga · 1865 days ago · 10 km deep · 35 km away
- 4.6157 km SSE of ‘Ohonua, Tonga · 1857 days ago · 10 km deep · 34 km away
- 5.983 km SSE of ‘Ohonua, Tonga · 1851 days ago · 10 km deep · 46 km away · felt by 3
- 4.3197 km SSE of ‘Ohonua, Tonga · 1851 days ago · 10 km deep · 71 km away
- 4.7171 km SSE of ‘Ohonua, Tonga · 1841 days ago · 10 km deep · 46 km away
- 4.6181 km SSW of ‘Ohonua, Tonga · 1839 days ago · 10 km deep · 97 km away
- 4.280 km S of ‘Ohonua, Tonga · 1838 days ago · 35 km deep · 63 km away
- 4.3146 km SSE of ‘Ohonua, Tonga · 1826 days ago · 10 km deep · 20 km away
Before
Earthquakes todayTonga earthquakesLive radar here
Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event us6000f63e (also filed as usauto6000f63e, iscgem620986692). Read Wed, Sep 30, 2026, 11:43 PM UTC.