M5.8 earthquake 80 km ENE of ‘Ohonua, Tonga
A magnitude 5.8 earthquake struck 80 km ENE of ‘Ohonua, Tonga on Tue, Sep 21, 2021, 7:34 AM GMT+13 (18:34 UTC), 14 km (9 mi) below the surface.
Map
Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.
The earthquake
- Magnitude
- 5.8 (mww), moderate
- Local time
- UTC
- 2021-09-20 18:34:52 UTC
- Depth
- 14.0 km (8.7 mi), shallow
- Epicenter
- 20.980° S, 174.271° W
- Region
- Tonga
- Strongest shaking
- IV, light 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
- IV, light shaking
- Peak ground acceleration
- 2.1% of gravity
- Peak ground velocity
- 1.6 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
- 5.8 Mww
- Nodal plane 1
- Strike 26°, dip 36°, rake 103°
- Nodal plane 2
- Strike 190°, dip 55°, rake 81°
How well it is located
Reviewed by a seismologist.
- Location uncertainty
- About 8.2 km horizontally, 1.6 km in depth
- Magnitude uncertainty
- ±0.07
- Depth from
- From modeling of broad-band P waveforms
- Station coverage gap
- 25°
- Stations used
- 107
Nearest places
Distance and direction from each place to the epicenter, with its forecast.
Nearby
Within 100 km, magnitude 2.8 and up: 6 in the 60 days after this one and 0 in the 30 days before it.
After
- 4.8121 km ENE of ‘Ohonua, Tonga · 1835 days ago · 10 km deep · 41 km away
- 4.6121 km E of ‘Ohonua, Tonga · 1835 days ago · 10 km deep · 52 km away
- 4.893 km E of ‘Ohonua, Tonga · 1833 days ago · 10 km deep · 57 km away
- 4.433 km SSE of Pangai, Tonga · 1831 days ago · 10 km deep · 98 km away
- 4.761 km SSW of Pangai, Tonga · 1831 days ago · 35 km deep · 74 km away
- 5.395 km E of ‘Ohonua, Tonga · 1789 days ago · 10 km deep · 38 km away · felt by 3
Earthquakes todayTonga earthquakesLive radar here
Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event us7000fcye (also filed as usauto7000fcye, pt21263000, iscgem621086519). Read Wed, Sep 30, 2026, 11:47 PM UTC.