Tonga earthquakes

M5.1 earthquake 67 km SE of ‘Ohonua, Tonga

A magnitude 5.1 earthquake struck 67 km SE of ‘Ohonua, Tonga on Sat, Dec 18, 2021, 2:12 PM GMT+13 (01:12 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.

Open the live map with earthquakes

The earthquake

Magnitude: 5.1 (mb), moderate
Local time: Sat, Dec 18, 2021, 2:12 PM GMT+13
UTC: 2021-12-18 01:12:29 UTC
Depth: 10.0 km (6.2 mi), shallow
Epicenter: 21.801° S, 174.528° 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 10.7 km horizontally, 1.8 km in depth
Magnitude uncertainty: ±0.04
Depth from: Operator assigned
Station coverage gap: 76°
Stations used: 57

Nearest places

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

Nuku‘alofa, TongaPopulation 22,400. Forecast101 kmSE

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 2.1 and up: 8 in the 60 days after this one and 5 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 us6000gdah (also filed as iscgem621633317). Read Wed, Sep 30, 2026, 9:37 AM UTC.