M5.4 earthquake Tonga region
A magnitude 5.4 earthquake struck in the Tonga region on Sat, Feb 18, 2023, 4:16 PM GMT+13 (03:16 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
- 5.4 (Mww, W-phase moment), moderate
- Magnitude from
- USGS National Earthquake Information Center
- Local time
- UTC
- 2023-02-18 03:16:40 UTC
- Depth
- 10.0 km (6.2 mi), shallow
- Epicenter
- 22.383° S, 174.411° W
- Region
- Tonga
- 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
- 0.4% of gravity
- Peak ground velocity
- 0.4 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
- Oblique reverse
- Moment magnitude
- 5.4 Mww
- Nodal plane 1
- Strike 134°, dip 44°, rake 41°
- Nodal plane 2
- Strike 12°, dip 63°, rake 126°
How well it is located
Reviewed by a seismologist.
- Location uncertainty
- About 9.5 km horizontally, 1.8 km in depth
- Magnitude uncertainty
- ±0.07
- Depth from
- Operator assigned
- Station coverage gap
- 162°
- Stations used
- 33
Nearest places
Distance and direction from each place to the epicenter, with its forecast.
Nearby
Within 100 km, magnitude 2.4 and up: 8 in the 60 days after this one and 5 in the 30 days before it.
After
- 5.2131 km SSE of ‘Ohonua, Tonga · 1321 days ago · 10 km deep · 7 km away
- 4.9139 km S of ‘Ohonua, Tonga · 1312 days ago · 10 km deep · 72 km away
- 4.4143 km SSE of ‘Ohonua, Tonga · 1305 days ago · 10 km deep · 29 km away
- 4.6154 km SSE of ‘Ohonua, Tonga · 1303 days ago · 10 km deep · 32 km away
- 4.3130 km SSE of ‘Ohonua, Tonga · 1303 days ago · 10 km deep · 3 km away
- 4.9118 km SSE of ‘Ohonua, Tonga · 1294 days ago · 10 km deep · 14 km away
- 4.4129 km SE of ‘Ohonua, Tonga · 1294 days ago · 10 km deep · 18 km away
- 4.8158 km SSE of ‘Ohonua, Tonga · 1277 days ago · 10 km deep · 30 km away
Before
- 5.3121 km SSE of ‘Ohonua, Tonga · 1331 days ago · 10 km deep · 8 km away
- 4.9115 km ESE of ‘Ohonua, Tonga · 1336 days ago · 10 km deep · 82 km away
- 5.3121 km ESE of ?Ohonua, Tonga · 1337 days ago · 10 km deep · 79 km away · felt by 1
- 4.4Tonga region · 1338 days ago · 10 km deep · 65 km away
- 4.2Tonga region · 1349 days ago · 10 km deep · 44 km away
Earthquakes todayTonga earthquakesLive radar here
Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event us6000jpu5. Read Sat, Oct 3, 2026, 8:14 AM UTC.