M5.5 earthquake 226 km S of ‘Ohonua, Tonga
A magnitude 5.5 earthquake struck 226 km S of ‘Ohonua, Tonga on Fri, Dec 3, 2021, 9:40 PM GMT+13 (08:40 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
- 2021-12-03 08:40:26 UTC
- Depth
- 10.0 km (6.2 mi), shallow
- Epicenter
- 23.379° S, 175.003° W
- Region
- Tonga
- Strongest shaking
- I, not felt 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.
- 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
- 5.5 Mww
- Nodal plane 1
- Strike 209°, dip 28°, rake 96°
- Nodal plane 2
- Strike 23°, dip 63°, rake 87°
How well it is located
Reviewed by a seismologist.
- Location uncertainty
- About 9.9 km horizontally, 1.1 km in depth
- Magnitude uncertainty
- ±0.09
- Depth from
- Operator assigned
- Station coverage gap
- 48°
- 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: 9 in the 60 days after this one and 4 in the 30 days before it.
After
- 4.6229 km S of ‘Ohonua, Tonga · 1762 days ago · 10 km deep · 26 km away
- 4.9220 km S of ‘Ohonua, Tonga · 1762 days ago · 10 km deep · 38 km away
- 4.7274 km S of ‘Ohonua, Tonga · 1762 days ago · 10 km deep · 57 km away
- 4.6282 km S of ‘Ohonua, Tonga · 1759 days ago · 10 km deep · 58 km away
- 5.1256 km S of ‘Ohonua, Tonga · 1755 days ago · 10 km deep · 39 km away
- 4.6260 km SSW of ‘Ohonua, Tonga · 1743 days ago · 35 km deep · 74 km away
- 4.4264 km S of ‘Ohonua, Tonga · 1741 days ago · 10 km deep · 48 km away
- 4.9211 km S of ‘Ohonua, Tonga · 1740 days ago · 10 km deep · 32 km away
- 5.0150 km S of ‘Ohonua, Tonga · 1724 days ago · 10 km deep · 77 km away
Before
Earthquakes todayTonga earthquakesLive radar here
Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event us6000g8ne (also filed as iscgem621883630). Read Wed, Sep 30, 2026, 9:38 AM UTC.