Tonga earthquakes

M5.1 earthquake 268 km SSW of ‘Ohonua, Tonga

A magnitude 5.1 earthquake struck 268 km SSW of ‘Ohonua, Tonga on Fri, Aug 18, 2023, 5:31 AM GMT+13 (16:31 UTC), 20 km (12 mi) below the surface.

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Map

Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.

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The earthquake

Magnitude
5.1 (Mww, W-phase moment), moderate
Magnitude from
USGS National Earthquake Information Center
Local time
UTC
2023-08-17 16:31:40 UTC
Depth
19.8 km (12.3 mi), shallow
Epicenter
23.694° S, 175.575° W
Region
Tonga
Tsunami flag
No
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

Did you feel it?

No one has reported feeling this quake to the USGS.

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
5.1 Mww
Nodal plane 1
Strike 38°, dip 23°, rake 82°
Nodal plane 2
Strike 227°, dip 67°, rake 93°

How well it is located

Reviewed by a seismologist.

Location uncertainty
About 8.2 km horizontally, 3.3 km in depth
Magnitude uncertainty
±0.09
Depth from
From location
Station coverage gap
48°
Stations used
205

Nearest places

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

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 2.1 and up: 10 in the 60 days after this one and 8 in the 30 days before it.

After

  1. 4.4south of the Fiji Islands · 1143 days ago · 10 km deep · 94 km away
  2. 4.6220 km SSW of ‘Ohonua, Tonga · 1138 days ago · 35 km deep · 78 km away
  3. 4.7south of Tonga · 1136 days ago · 10 km deep · 74 km away
  4. 4.3south of Tonga · 1131 days ago · 10 km deep · 82 km away
  5. 4.6193 km S of ‘Ohonua, Tonga · 1117 days ago · 10 km deep · 82 km away
  6. 5.0south of Tonga · 1114 days ago · 35 km deep · 60 km away
  7. 4.6south of Tonga · 1114 days ago · 35 km deep · 68 km away
  8. 4.5south of the Fiji Islands · 1102 days ago · 99 km deep · 88 km away
  9. 4.8210 km S of ‘Ohonua, Tonga · 1101 days ago · 10 km deep · 69 km away
  10. 4.8235 km S of ‘Ohonua, Tonga · 1100 days ago · 10 km deep · 83 km away

Before

  1. 4.9south of Tonga · 1145 days ago · 30 km deep · 89 km away
  2. 4.4269 km SSW of ‘Ohonua, Tonga · 1158 days ago · 30 km deep · 7 km away
  3. 4.8293 km SSW of ‘Ohonua, Tonga · 1159 days ago · 11 km deep · 34 km away
  4. 4.6south of Tonga · 1163 days ago · 10 km deep · 78 km away
  5. 4.5south of Tonga · 1165 days ago · 10 km deep · 80 km away
  6. 4.5275 km S of ‘Ohonua, Tonga · 1168 days ago · 10 km deep · 34 km away
  7. 4.9south of Tonga · 1171 days ago · 10 km deep · 96 km away
  8. 4.8south of Tonga · 1171 days ago · 10 km deep · 95 km away

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Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event us7000kp2a. Read Sun, Oct 4, 2026, 10:22 AM UTC.