M5.4 earthquake 76 km E of ‘Ohonua, Tonga
A magnitude 5.4 earthquake struck 76 km E of ‘Ohonua, Tonga on Mon, Nov 28, 2022, 10:30 PM GMT+13 (09:30 UTC), 10 km (6 mi) below the surface.
A larger quake followed: M5.5 Tonga region. 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, W-phase moment), moderate
- Magnitude from
- USGS National Earthquake Information Center
- Local time
- UTC
- 2022-11-28 09:30:26 UTC
- Depth
- 10.0 km (6.2 mi), shallow
- Epicenter
- 21.400° S, 174.214° W
- Region
- Tonga
- Strongest shaking
- III, weak 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 · ±0.068 · 21 stations |
| 5.8 | Mi | NOAA Pacific Tsunami Warning Center | First automatic solution · Reviewed · 8 stations |
| 5.4 | Mww, W-phase moment | USGS, automatic first solution | First automatic solution · Confirmed |
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
- 0.7% of gravity
- Peak ground velocity
- 0.7 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
- 5.4 Mww
- Nodal plane 1
- Strike 199°, dip 21°, rake 80°
- Nodal plane 2
- Strike 30°, dip 70°, rake 94°
How well it is located
Reviewed by a seismologist.
- Location uncertainty
- About 7.4 km horizontally, 1.7 km in depth
- Magnitude uncertainty
- ±0.07
- Depth from
- Operator assigned
- Station coverage gap
- 61°
- Stations used
- 108
Nearest places
Distance and direction from each place to the epicenter, with its forecast.
Nearby
Within 100 km, magnitude 2.4 and up: 12 in the 60 days after this one and 1 in the 30 days before it.
After
- 4.5Tonga · 1403 days ago · 10 km deep · 36 km away
- 4.5114 km SSE of Pangai, Tonga · 1386 days ago · 10 km deep · 77 km away
- 4.378 km E of ‘Ohonua, Tonga · 1381 days ago · 10 km deep · 4 km away
- 5.5Tonga region · 1376 days ago · 10 km deep · 74 km away · felt by 2
- 4.694 km SSE of ‘Ohonua, Tonga · 1376 days ago · 10 km deep · 88 km away
- 4.380 km SSE of ‘Ohonua, Tonga · 1376 days ago · 10 km deep · 77 km away
- 5.465 km SSE of ‘Ohonua, Tonga · 1372 days ago · 23 km deep · 79 km away · felt by 1
- 4.3110 km E of ‘Ohonua, Tonga · 1363 days ago · 10 km deep · 33 km away
- 5.085 km E of ‘Ohonua, Tonga · 1352 days ago · 10 km deep · 9 km away
- 5.0102 km NE of ‘Ohonua, Tonga · 1350 days ago · 19 km deep · 65 km away
- 4.2134 km SSE of Pangai, Tonga · 1349 days ago · 10 km deep · 76 km away
- 4.2Tonga region · 1349 days ago · 10 km deep · 83 km away
Before
Earthquakes todayTonga earthquakesLive radar here
Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event us7000iswu (also filed as usauto7000iswu, pt22332002). Read Fri, Oct 2, 2026, 5:18 PM UTC.