Tonga earthquakes

M5.4 earthquake 290 km SSW of ‘Ohonua, Tonga

A magnitude 5.4 earthquake struck 290 km SSW of ‘Ohonua, Tonga on Sun, Jun 18, 2023, 12:16 PM GMT+13 (23:16 UTC), 10 km (6 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M6.2 south of 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: 5.4 (Mww, W-phase moment), moderate
Magnitude from: USGS National Earthquake Information Center
Local time: Sun, Jun 18, 2023, 12:16 PM GMT+13
UTC: 2023-06-17 23:16:21 UTC
Depth: 10.0 km (6.2 mi), shallow
Epicenter: 23.887° S, 175.643° W
Region: Tonga
Strongest shaking: I, not felt 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 · ±0.071 · 19 stations
5.3	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.

Map: Automatic

USGS ShakeMap: estimated shaking intensity around the epicenter — Estimated shaking intensity. Map: USGS ShakeMap.

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

Deaths: estimated chance of each range
Range	Chance
Under 1	76%
1 to 10	24%
10 to 100	Under 1%
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%

Economic losses: estimated chance of each range
Range, million USD	Chance
Under 1	76%
1 to 10	24%
10 to 100	Under 1%
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 202°, dip 28°, rake 94°
Nodal plane 2: Strike 18°, dip 62°, rake 88°

How well it is located

Reviewed by a seismologist.

Location uncertainty: About 8.8 km horizontally, 3.5 km in depth
Magnitude uncertainty: ±0.07
Depth from: From location
Station coverage gap: 89°
Stations used: 90

Nearest places

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

Nuku‘alofa, TongaPopulation 22,400. Forecast309 kmS

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 2.4 and up: 94 in the 60 days after this one and 41 in the 30 days before it.

After

The first 60 of 94.

Before

Earthquakes today Tonga earthquakes Live radar here

Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event us7000k99n (also filed as usauto7000k99n). Read Sun, Oct 4, 2026, 1:48 PM UTC.