M5.4 earthquake 122 km WNW of Pangai, Tonga
A magnitude 5.4 earthquake struck 122 km WNW of Pangai, Tonga on Sun, Jul 18, 2021, 1:36 PM GMT+13 (00:36 UTC), 216 km (134 mi) below the surface.
A larger quake followed: M6.0 185 km WNW of Pangai, Tonga. This one was a foreshock.
Map
Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.
The earthquake
- Magnitude
- 5.4 (mww), moderate
- Local time
- UTC
- 2021-07-18 00:36:33 UTC
- Depth
- 215.5 km (133.9 mi), intermediate-depth
- Epicenter
- 19.225° S, 175.346° 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
- 0.3% of gravity
- Peak ground velocity
- -2.1 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% |
How well it is located
Reviewed by a seismologist.
- Location uncertainty
- About 9.5 km horizontally, 4.3 km in depth
- Magnitude uncertainty
- ±0.09
- Depth from
- From location
- Station coverage gap
- 20°
- Stations used
- 283
Nearest places
Distance and direction from each place to the epicenter, with its forecast.
Nearby
Within 100 km, magnitude 2.4 and up: 4 in the 60 days after this one and 2 in the 30 days before it.
After
- 4.5146 km WNW of Neiafu, Tonga · 1868 days ago · 235 km deep · 95 km away
- 4.6138 km W of Neiafu, Tonga · 1857 days ago · 176 km deep · 89 km away
- 4.2133 km W of Pangai, Tonga · 1855 days ago · 240 km deep · 56 km away
- 6.0185 km WNW of Pangai, Tonga · 1849 days ago · 10 km deep · 78 km away · felt by 5
Before
Earthquakes todayTonga earthquakesLive radar here
Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event us7000en1d (also filed as iscgem620833218). Read Wed, Sep 30, 2026, 9:49 AM UTC.