M5.5 earthquake 173 km SSW of ‘Ohonua, Tonga
A magnitude 5.5 earthquake struck 173 km SSW of ‘Ohonua, Tonga on Sun, Dec 24, 2023, 3:22 PM GMT+13 (02:22 UTC), 46 km (29 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
- 2023-12-24 02:22:17 UTC
- Depth
- 46.3 km (28.8 mi), shallow
- Epicenter
- 22.702° S, 175.783° 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
- 0.3% of gravity
- Peak ground velocity
- 0.3 cm/s
- Map
- Automatic
Did you feel it?
2 people reported to the USGS what they felt; the strongest reported shaking was III, 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% |
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
- 5.5 Mww
- Nodal plane 1
- Strike 2°, dip 40°, rake 76°
- Nodal plane 2
- Strike 200°, dip 51°, rake 101°
How well it is located
Reviewed by a seismologist.
- Location uncertainty
- About 9.7 km horizontally, 4.8 km in depth
- Magnitude uncertainty
- ±0.07
- Depth from
- From location
- Station coverage gap
- 54°
- Stations used
- 78
Nearest places
Distance and direction from each place to the epicenter, with its forecast.
Nearby
Within 100 km, magnitude 2.5 and up: 9 in the 60 days after this one and 4 in the 30 days before it.
After
- 4.7100 km SW of Houma, Tonga · 1010 days ago · 146 km deep · 93 km away
- 5.4162 km SSW of ‘Ohonua, Tonga · 995 days ago · 10 km deep · 31 km away
- 4.4170 km S of ‘Ohonua, Tonga · 994 days ago · 36 km deep · 63 km away
- 5.0175 km S of ‘Ohonua, Tonga · 993 days ago · 10 km deep · 71 km away
- 4.8166 km SSW of ‘Ohonua, Tonga · 993 days ago · 10 km deep · 46 km away
- 5.0175 km S of ‘Ohonua, Tonga · 990 days ago · 10 km deep · 70 km away
- 5.0170 km S of ‘Ohonua, Tonga · 984 days ago · 10 km deep · 85 km away · felt by 2
- 4.3251 km SSW of Houma, Tonga · 970 days ago · 10 km deep · 90 km away
- 4.5120 km SW of Houma, Tonga · 960 days ago · 135 km deep · 86 km away
Before
Earthquakes todayTonga earthquakesLive radar here
Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event us7000ll64. Read Sun, Oct 4, 2026, 9:17 AM UTC.