M5.3 earthquake 107 km NE of Hihifo, Tonga
A magnitude 5.3 earthquake struck 107 km NE of Hihifo, Tonga on Thu, Mar 30, 2023, 7:26 AM GMT+13 (18:26 UTC), 14 km (8 mi) below the surface.
A larger quake followed: M5.5 124 km ENE of Hihifo, Tonga. This one was a foreshock.
Map
Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.
The earthquake
- Magnitude
- 5.3 (Mww, W-phase moment), moderate
- Magnitude from
- USGS National Earthquake Information Center
- Local time
- UTC
- 2023-03-29 18:26:50 UTC
- Depth
- 13.5 km (8.4 mi), shallow
- Epicenter
- 15.242° S, 173.112° W
- Region
- Tonga
- Felt reports
- 2
- Strongest shaking
- III, weak 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
- III, weak shaking
- Peak ground acceleration
- 0.7% of gravity
- Peak ground velocity
- 0.6 cm/s
- Map
- Automatic
Did you feel it?
2 people reported to the USGS what they felt; the strongest reported shaking was II, 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% |
How well it is located
Reviewed by a seismologist.
- Location uncertainty
- About 6.0 km horizontally, 3.7 km in depth
- Magnitude uncertainty
- ±0.10
- Depth from
- From location
- Station coverage gap
- 67°
- Stations used
- 143
Nearest places
Distance and direction from each place to the epicenter, with its forecast.
Nearby
Within 100 km, magnitude 2.3 and up: 13 in the 60 days after this one and 8 in the 30 days before it.
After
- 4.3114 km NNE of Hihifo, Tonga · 1275 days ago · 10 km deep · 50 km away
- 4.4107 km NE of Hihifo, Tonga · 1273 days ago · 34 km deep · 12 km away
- 4.5136 km NE of Hihifo, Tonga · 1271 days ago · 10 km deep · 33 km away
- 4.5112 km NNE of Hihifo, Tonga · 1270 days ago · 33 km deep · 43 km away
- 4.9138 km NE of Hihifo, Tonga · 1255 days ago · 10 km deep · 34 km away
- 4.5105 km NE of Hihifo, Tonga · 1255 days ago · 10 km deep · 2 km away
- 5.5124 km ENE of Hihifo, Tonga · 1249 days ago · 32 km deep · 59 km away · felt by 1
- 4.076 km NNE of Hihifo, Tonga · 1240 days ago · 35 km deep · 36 km away
- 4.2Samoa Islands region · 1240 days ago · 47 km deep · 46 km away
- 4.6129 km NE of Hihifo, Tonga · 1232 days ago · 10 km deep · 28 km away
- 5.034 km NE of Hihifo, Tonga · 1229 days ago · 39 km deep · 73 km away · felt by 1
- 4.3106 km NNE of Hihifo, Tonga · 1225 days ago · 10 km deep · 41 km away
- 4.3102 km NE of Hihifo, Tonga · 1224 days ago · 18 km deep · 15 km away
Before
- 4.5Samoa Islands region · 1285 days ago · 10 km deep · 78 km away
- 4.3110 km NNE of Hihifo, Tonga · 1287 days ago · 10 km deep · 26 km away
- 4.8122 km E of Hihifo, Tonga · 1296 days ago · 10 km deep · 79 km away
- 4.7106 km NNE of Hihifo, Tonga · 1297 days ago · 21 km deep · 46 km away
- 4.6114 km NNE of Hihifo, Tonga · 1297 days ago · 10 km deep · 57 km away
- 4.2118 km ENE of Hihifo, Tonga · 1299 days ago · 10 km deep · 55 km away
- 4.694 km NE of Hihifo, Tonga · 1303 days ago · 10 km deep · 13 km away
- 4.1132 km NNE of Hihifo, Tonga · 1305 days ago · 10 km deep · 34 km away
Earthquakes todayTonga earthquakesLive radar here
Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event us6000k0pe. Read Fri, Oct 2, 2026, 8:14 AM UTC.