M5.4 earthquake 90 km NNW of Hihifo, Tonga
A magnitude 5.4 earthquake struck 90 km NNW of Hihifo, Tonga on Tue, Dec 6, 2022, 3:21 AM GMT+13 (14:21 UTC), 151 km (94 mi) below the surface.
Map
Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.
The earthquake
- Magnitude
- 5.4 (Mww, W-phase moment), moderate
- Magnitude from
- USGS National Earthquake Information Center
- Local time
- UTC
- 2022-12-05 14:21:26 UTC
- Depth
- 151.3 km (94.0 mi), intermediate-depth
- Epicenter
- 15.238° S, 174.203° W
- Region
- Tonga
- Felt reports
- 1
- Strongest shaking
- IV, light shaking
- PAGER alert
- Green
- Tsunami flag
- No
- Status
- Reviewed by a seismologist
Magnitude estimates
Different scales measure different things and differ by a few tenths. The USGS marks one as preferred, and it is the one this page uses.
| Mag. | Scale | Computed by | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5.4 | Mww, W-phase moment | USGS National Earthquake Information Center | Preferred · Reviewed · ±0.075 · 17 stations |
| 5.3 | Mww, W-phase moment | USGS, automatic first solution | First automatic solution · Preliminary |
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
- 0.8% of gravity
- Peak ground velocity
- 0.5 cm/s
- Map
- Automatic
Did you feel it?
1 person reported to the USGS what they felt; the strongest reported shaking was III, weak 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
- Oblique normal
- Moment magnitude
- 5.4 Mww
- Nodal plane 1
- Strike 267°, dip 35°, rake -32°
- Nodal plane 2
- Strike 23°, dip 73°, rake -120°
How well it is located
Reviewed by a seismologist.
- Location uncertainty
- About 9.9 km horizontally, 4.7 km in depth
- Magnitude uncertainty
- ±0.07
- Depth from
- From location
- Station coverage gap
- 42°
- Stations used
- 105
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 5 in the 30 days before it.
After
- 4.3115 km N of Hihifo, Tonga · 1386 days ago · 10 km deep · 72 km away
- 4.2115 km WNW of Hihifo, Tonga · 1379 days ago · 249 km deep · 63 km away
- 4.1Tonga · 1370 days ago · 255 km deep · 73 km away
- 4.1115 km NW of Hihifo, Tonga · 1349 days ago · 261 km deep · 50 km away
Before
- 4.4118 km NNE of Hihifo, Tonga · 1398 days ago · 10 km deep · 93 km away
- 4.339 km WSW of Hihifo, Tonga · 1404 days ago · 146 km deep · 94 km away
- 4.4127 km N of Hihifo, Tonga · 1412 days ago · 10 km deep · 79 km away
- 4.3112 km N of Hihifo, Tonga · 1414 days ago · 51 km deep · 49 km away
- 4.7108 km NNE of Hihifo, Tonga · 1426 days ago · 10 km deep · 74 km away · felt by 1
Earthquakes todayTonga earthquakesLive radar here
Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event us6000j70t (also filed as usauto6000j70t). Read Fri, Oct 2, 2026, 9:55 AM UTC.