M6.6 earthquake 70 km NW of Fangale’ounga, Tonga
A magnitude 6.6 earthquake struck 70 km NW of Fangale’ounga, Tonga on Mon, May 27, 2024, 9:47 AM GMT+13 (20:47 UTC), 137 km (85 mi) below the surface.
Map
Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.
The earthquake
- Magnitude
- 6.6 (Mww, W-phase moment), strong
- Magnitude from
- USGS National Earthquake Information Center
- Local time
- UTC
- 2024-05-26 20:47:12 UTC
- Depth
- 137.0 km (85.1 mi), intermediate-depth
- Epicenter
- 19.343° S, 174.841° W
- Region
- Tonga
- Felt reports
- 12
- Strongest shaking
- VI, strong shaking
- PAGER alert
- Green
- Tsunami flag
- Yes: a large quake in an oceanic region
- 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6.6 | Mww, W-phase moment | USGS National Earthquake Information Center | Preferred · Reviewed · ±0.043 · 53 stations |
| 6.6 | Mi | NOAA National Tsunami Warning Center | Reviewed · 13 stations |
| 6.6 | Mi | NOAA Pacific Tsunami Warning Center | Reviewed · 17 stations |
| 6.4 | Mi | NOAA National Tsunami Warning Center | First automatic solution · Reviewed · 4 stations |
| 6.4 | Mi | NOAA Pacific Tsunami Warning Center | First automatic solution · Reviewed · 9 stations |
| 6.5 | Mwb, body-wave moment | USGS National Earthquake Information Center | Moment tensor · Reviewed |
| 6.6 | Mww, W-phase moment | USGS, automatic first solution | First automatic solution · Confirmed |
Tsunami
The USGS flags a quake this large in an oceanic region. The flag does not mean a tsunami happened; the tsunami warning centers decide that, and their messages are below when they issued any.
- Tsunami Information for Hawaii from the PTWC. Read the message
- Tsunami Information Bulletin from the PTWC. Read the message
Current tsunami warnings: tsunami.gov. Warnings in force in the US also appear on our alerts pages.
Shaking
The USGS ShakeMap: shaking estimated from seismic stations and the quake’s size, on the Modified Mercalli intensity scale.
- Strongest estimated
- VI, strong shaking
- Peak ground acceleration
- 11.7% of gravity
- Peak ground velocity
- 4.2 cm/s
- Map
- Automatic
Did you feel it?
12 people reported to the USGS what they felt; the strongest reported shaking was V, moderate 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
- Oblique reverse
- Moment magnitude
- 6.6 Mww
- Nodal plane 1
- Strike 159°, dip 17°, rake 39°
- Nodal plane 2
- Strike 31°, dip 79°, rake 103°
- Landslide alert
- Green
- Liquefaction alert
- Green
How well it is located
Reviewed by a seismologist.
- Location uncertainty
- About 8.1 km horizontally, 1.9 km in depth
- Magnitude uncertainty
- ±0.04
- Depth from
- From modeling of broad-band P waveforms
- Station coverage gap
- 21°
- Stations used
- 190
Nearest places
Distance and direction from each place to the epicenter, with its forecast.
Nearby
Within 100 km, magnitude 3.6 and up: 6 in the 60 days after this one and 1 in the 30 days before it.
After
- 4.3135 km W of Neiafu, Tonga · 856 days ago · 225 km deep · 86 km away
- 4.493 km W of Neiafu, Tonga · 856 days ago · 129 km deep · 66 km away
- 4.3117 km W of Pangai, Tonga · 855 days ago · 213 km deep · 85 km away
- 4.8126 km W of Pangai, Tonga · 843 days ago · 143 km deep · 93 km away
- 4.292 km W of Neiafu, Tonga · 817 days ago · 160 km deep · 77 km away
- 4.956 km SW of Neiafu, Tonga · 804 days ago · 35 km deep · 62 km away
Before
Earthquakes todayTonga earthquakesLive radar here
Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event us6000n158 (also filed as at00se41qg, pt24147000, usauto6000n158). Read Mon, Oct 5, 2026, 9:34 AM UTC.