Tonga earthquakes

M5.3 earthquake 82 km E of ‘Ohonua, Tonga

A magnitude 5.3 earthquake struck 82 km E of ‘Ohonua, Tonga on Tue, Mar 1, 2022, 5:38 PM GMT+13 (04:38 UTC), 10 km (6 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M5.9 119 km E of ‘Ohonua, Tonga. This one was a foreshock.

Nuku‘alofa forecast More in Tonga

Map

Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.

Open the live map with earthquakes

The earthquake

Magnitude: 5.3 (Mww, W-phase moment), moderate
Magnitude from: USGS National Earthquake Information Center
Local time: Tue, Mar 1, 2022, 5:38 PM GMT+13
UTC: 2022-03-01 04:38:56 UTC
Depth: 10.0 km (6.2 mi), shallow
Epicenter: 21.318° S, 174.158° W
Region: Tonga
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
5.3	Mww, W-phase moment	USGS National Earthquake Information Center	Preferred · Reviewed · ±0.089 · 12 stations
5.3	Mww, W-phase moment	USGS, automatic first solution	First automatic solution · Confirmed

Did you feel it?

No one has reported feeling this quake to the USGS.

How well it is located

Reviewed by a seismologist.

Location uncertainty: About 11.1 km horizontally, 1.8 km in depth
Magnitude uncertainty: ±0.09
Depth from: Operator assigned
Station coverage gap: 114°
Stations used: 62

Nearest places

Distance and direction from each place to the epicenter, with its forecast.

Nuku‘alofa, TongaPopulation 22,400. Forecast110 kmE

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 2.3 and up: 6 in the 60 days after this one and 6 in the 30 days before it.

After

Before

Earthquakes today Tonga earthquakes Live radar here

Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event us6000h0zw (also filed as usauto6000h0zw). Read Sat, Oct 3, 2026, 5:14 AM UTC.