M5.5 earthquake 107 km ESE of Hihifo, Tonga
A magnitude 5.5 earthquake struck 107 km ESE of Hihifo, Tonga on Thu, Jul 27, 2023, 1:28 PM GMT+13 (00:28 UTC), 10 km (6 mi) below the surface.
Map
Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.
The earthquake
- Magnitude
- 5.5 (Mww, W-phase moment), moderate
- Magnitude from
- USGS National Earthquake Information Center
- Local time
- UTC
- 2023-07-27 00:28:58 UTC
- Depth
- 10.0 km (6.2 mi), shallow
- Epicenter
- 16.299° S, 172.855° W
- Region
- Tonga
- 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5.5 | Mww, W-phase moment | USGS National Earthquake Information Center | Preferred · Reviewed · ±0.098 · 10 stations |
| 5.6 | Mi | NOAA Pacific Tsunami Warning Center | Reviewed · 5 stations |
| 5.3 | Mwb, body-wave moment | USGS National Earthquake Information Center | Moment tensor · Reviewed |
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
- 1.1% of gravity
- Peak ground velocity
- 1.1 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
- Strike-slip
- Moment magnitude
- 5.5 Mww
- Nodal plane 1
- Strike 102°, dip 8°, rake -177°
- Nodal plane 2
- Strike 9°, dip 90°, rake -82°
How well it is located
Reviewed by a seismologist.
- Location uncertainty
- About 7.9 km horizontally, 1.7 km in depth
- Magnitude uncertainty
- ±0.10
- Depth from
- Operator assigned
- Station coverage gap
- 28°
- Stations used
- 252
Nearest places
Distance and direction from each place to the epicenter, with its forecast.
Nearby
Within 100 km, magnitude 2.5 and up: 4 in the 60 days after this one and 5 in the 30 days before it.
After
- 4.6102 km SSE of Hihifo, Tonga · 1161 days ago · 50 km deep · 71 km away
- 4.3157 km ESE of Hihifo, Tonga · 1160 days ago · 10 km deep · 51 km away
- 4.6156 km SE of Hihifo, Tonga · 1138 days ago · 10 km deep · 81 km away
- 4.322 km ESE of Hihifo, Tonga · 1112 days ago · 118 km deep · 86 km away
Before
- 4.695 km ESE of Hihifo, Tonga · 1166 days ago · 25 km deep · 13 km away
- 4.6188 km ESE of Hihifo, Tonga · 1173 days ago · 10 km deep · 86 km away
- 4.754 km SE of Hihifo, Tonga · 1181 days ago · 53 km deep · 63 km away
- 4.6105 km SSE of Hihifo, Tonga · 1189 days ago · 82 km deep · 83 km away
- 5.061 km SE of Hihifo, Tonga · 1190 days ago · 55 km deep · 57 km away
Earthquakes todayTonga earthquakesLive radar here
Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event us6000kvtk (also filed as pt23208000). Read Fri, Oct 2, 2026, 4:50 PM UTC.