Tonga earthquakes

M5.3 earthquake 127 km ESE of ‘Ohonua, Tonga

A magnitude 5.3 earthquake struck 127 km ESE of ‘Ohonua, Tonga on Sun, Dec 5, 2021, 8:45 PM GMT+13 (07:45 UTC), 10 km (6 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M5.5 118 km E of ‘Ohonua, Tonga. This one was a foreshock.

Nuku‘alofa forecast More in Tonga

Map

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

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The earthquake

Magnitude: 5.3 (mww), moderate
Local time: Sun, Dec 5, 2021, 8:45 PM GMT+13
UTC: 2021-12-05 07:45:05 UTC
Depth: 10.0 km (6.2 mi), shallow
Epicenter: 21.661° S, 173.769° 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.

How well it is located

Reviewed by a seismologist.

Location uncertainty: About 9.3 km horizontally, 1.8 km in depth
Magnitude uncertainty: ±0.09
Depth from: Operator assigned
Station coverage gap: 45°
Stations used: 69

Nearest places

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

Nuku‘alofa, TongaPopulation 22,400. Forecast159 kmESE

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 2.3 and up: 11 in the 60 days after this one and 4 in the 30 days before it.

After

Before

Earthquakes today Tonga earthquakes Live radar here

Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event us6000g97y (also filed as usauto6000g97y, iscgem621612596). Read Wed, Sep 30, 2026, 11:30 AM UTC.