M5.4 earthquake 65 km SSE of ‘Ohonua, Tonga
A magnitude 5.4 earthquake struck 65 km SSE of ‘Ohonua, Tonga on Fri, Dec 30, 2022, 10:42 PM GMT+13 (09:42 UTC), 23 km (14 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
- 2022-12-30 09:42:09 UTC
- Depth
- 22.6 km (14.1 mi), shallow
- Epicenter
- 21.897° S, 174.761° W
- Region
- Tonga
- Felt reports
- 1
- 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
- 1.2% of gravity
- Peak ground velocity
- 1.0 cm/s
- Map
- Automatic
Did you feel it?
1 person reported to the USGS what they felt.
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 44°, dip 39°, rake 98°
- Nodal plane 2
- Strike 214°, dip 51°, rake 84°
How well it is located
Reviewed by a seismologist.
- Location uncertainty
- About 7.5 km horizontally, 4.7 km in depth
- Magnitude uncertainty
- ±0.08
- Depth from
- From location
- Station coverage gap
- 45°
- Stations used
- 82
Nearest places
Distance and direction from each place to the epicenter, with its forecast.
Nearby
Within 100 km, magnitude 2.4 and up: 9 in the 60 days after this one and 7 in the 30 days before it.
After
- 5.085 km E of ‘Ohonua, Tonga · 1353 days ago · 10 km deep · 87 km away
- 4.2Tonga region · 1349 days ago · 10 km deep · 22 km away
- 4.7100 km SW of ‘Ohonua, Tonga · 1348 days ago · 45 km deep · 79 km away
- 5.3121 km ESE of ?Ohonua, Tonga · 1337 days ago · 10 km deep · 88 km away · felt by 1
- 4.9115 km ESE of ‘Ohonua, Tonga · 1336 days ago · 10 km deep · 85 km away
- 5.3121 km SSE of ‘Ohonua, Tonga · 1331 days ago · 10 km deep · 58 km away
- 4.7106 km SSW of ‘Ohonua, Tonga · 1329 days ago · 60 km deep · 75 km away
- 5.4Tonga region · 1324 days ago · 10 km deep · 65 km away
- 5.2131 km SSE of ‘Ohonua, Tonga · 1321 days ago · 10 km deep · 68 km away
Before
- 4.380 km SSE of ‘Ohonua, Tonga · 1377 days ago · 10 km deep · 18 km away
- 4.694 km SSE of ‘Ohonua, Tonga · 1377 days ago · 10 km deep · 30 km away
- 5.5Tonga region · 1377 days ago · 10 km deep · 31 km away · felt by 2
- 4.378 km E of ‘Ohonua, Tonga · 1382 days ago · 10 km deep · 77 km away
- 4.5120 km S of ‘Ohonua, Tonga · 1391 days ago · 10 km deep · 65 km away
- 4.5157 km SSE of ‘Ohonua, Tonga · 1395 days ago · 10 km deep · 92 km away
- 4.5Tonga region · 1402 days ago · 10 km deep · 70 km away
Earthquakes todayTonga earthquakesLive radar here
Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event us7000j11e. Read Sat, Oct 3, 2026, 3:10 PM UTC.