M6.0 earthquake 185 km WNW of Pangai, Tonga
A magnitude 6.0 earthquake struck 185 km WNW of Pangai, Tonga on Tue, Sep 7, 2021, 10:49 PM GMT+13 (09:49 UTC), 10 km (6 mi) below the surface.
Map
Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.
The earthquake
- Magnitude
- 6.0 (mww), strong
- Local time
- UTC
- 2021-09-07 09:49:56 UTC
- Depth
- 10.0 km (6.2 mi), shallow
- Epicenter
- 19.386° S, 176.068° W
- Region
- Tonga
- Felt reports
- 5
- 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
- 1.9% of gravity
- Peak ground velocity
- 1.7 cm/s
- Map
- Automatic
Did you feel it?
5 people reported to the USGS what they felt; the strongest reported shaking was V, moderate shaking.
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
- Strike-slip
- Moment magnitude
- 6.0 Mww
- Nodal plane 1
- Strike 312°, dip 71°, rake 177°
- Nodal plane 2
- Strike 42°, dip 87°, rake 19°
- Landslide alert
- Green
- Liquefaction alert
- Green
How well it is located
Reviewed by a seismologist.
- Location uncertainty
- About 9.1 km horizontally, 1.8 km in depth
- Magnitude uncertainty
- ±0.07
- Depth from
- Operator assigned
- Station coverage gap
- 41°
- Stations used
- 142
Nearest places
Distance and direction from each place to the epicenter, with its forecast.
Nearby
Within 100 km, magnitude 3.0 and up: 3 in the 60 days after this one and 2 in the 30 days before it.
After
- 5.8223 km WNW of Pangai, Tonga · 1847 days ago · 10 km deep · 38 km away · felt by 1
- 5.2132 km NNW of Nuku‘alofa, Tonga · 1837 days ago · 192 km deep · 83 km away
- 4.6156 km NW of Nuku‘alofa, Tonga · 1828 days ago · 10 km deep · 80 km away
Before
Earthquakes todayTonga earthquakesLive radar here
Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event us7000f8tc (also filed as usauto7000f8tc, pt21250000, iscgem621039599). Read Tue, Sep 29, 2026, 11:14 PM UTC.