M5.5 earthquake 118 km E of ‘Ohonua, Tonga
A magnitude 5.5 earthquake struck 118 km E of ‘Ohonua, Tonga on Tue, Dec 28, 2021, 12:34 AM GMT+13 (11:34 UTC), 11 km (7 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
- 2021-12-27 11:34:08 UTC
- Depth
- 11.4 km (7.1 mi), shallow
- Epicenter
- 21.447° S, 173.810° 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
- 0.6% of gravity
- Peak ground velocity
- -0.7 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
- 5.5 Mww
- Nodal plane 1
- Strike 215°, dip 32°, rake 80°
- Nodal plane 2
- Strike 47°, dip 58°, rake 96°
How well it is located
Reviewed by a seismologist.
- Location uncertainty
- About 6.6 km horizontally, 4.2 km in depth
- Magnitude uncertainty
- ±0.06
- Depth from
- From location
- Station coverage gap
- 40°
- Stations used
- 57
Nearest places
Distance and direction from each place to the epicenter, with its forecast.
Nearby
Within 100 km, magnitude 2.5 and up: 10 in the 60 days after this one and 6 in the 30 days before it.
After
- 4.9109 km E of ‘Ohonua, Tonga · 1733 days ago · 10 km deep · 11 km away
- 4.5100 km ENE of ‘Ohonua, Tonga · 1732 days ago · 10 km deep · 73 km away
- 4.192 km E of ‘Ohonua, Tonga · 1729 days ago · 10 km deep · 39 km away
- 5.095 km SSE of Pangai, Tonga · 1723 days ago · 10 km deep · 98 km away
- 4.9101 km SE of ‘Ohonua, Tonga · 1720 days ago · 10 km deep · 89 km away
- 4.7Tonga region · 1702 days ago · 10 km deep · 94 km away
- 5.574 km ENE of ‘Ohonua, Tonga · 1701 days ago · 10 km deep · 61 km away
- 4.782 km ENE of ‘Ohonua, Tonga · 1701 days ago · 10 km deep · 55 km away
- 4.683 km ENE of ‘Ohonua, Tonga · 1699 days ago · 10 km deep · 70 km away
- 4.477 km NE of ‘Ohonua, Tonga · 1686 days ago · 10 km deep · 78 km away
Before
- 4.8150 km E of ‘Ohonua, Tonga · 1747 days ago · 10 km deep · 36 km away
- 5.167 km SE of ‘Ohonua, Tonga · 1747 days ago · 10 km deep · 84 km away
- 4.4112 km ESE of ‘Ohonua, Tonga · 1756 days ago · 10 km deep · 23 km away
- 5.3127 km ESE of ‘Ohonua, Tonga · 1760 days ago · 10 km deep · 24 km away
- 4.3114 km E of ‘Ohonua, Tonga · 1764 days ago · 10 km deep · 31 km away
- 4.981 km ENE of ‘Ohonua, Tonga · 1767 days ago · 10 km deep · 68 km away
Earthquakes todayTonga earthquakesLive radar here
Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event us6000gfli (also filed as iscgem621653788). Read Wed, Sep 30, 2026, 12:22 PM UTC.