M5.6 earthquake 88 km W of Hihifo, Tonga
A magnitude 5.6 earthquake struck 88 km W of Hihifo, Tonga on Sun, Feb 18, 2024, 8:29 PM GMT+13 (07:29 UTC), 222 km (138 mi) below the surface.
Map
Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.
The earthquake
- Magnitude
- 5.6 (Mww, W-phase moment), moderate
- Magnitude from
- USGS National Earthquake Information Center
- Local time
- UTC
- 2024-02-18 07:29:20 UTC
- Depth
- 222.1 km (138.0 mi), intermediate-depth
- Epicenter
- 16.084° S, 174.616° W
- Region
- Tonga
- Strongest shaking
- III, weak 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5.6 | Mww, W-phase moment | USGS National Earthquake Information Center | Preferred · Reviewed · ±0.062 · 25 stations |
| 5.8 | Mi | NOAA Pacific Tsunami Warning Center | First automatic solution · Reviewed · 6 stations |
| 5.6 | Mwb, body-wave moment | USGS National Earthquake Information Center | Moment tensor · Reviewed |
| 5.6 | 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.
- Strongest estimated
- III, weak shaking
- Peak ground acceleration
- 0.5% of gravity
- Peak ground velocity
- 0.2 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
- Strike-slip
- Moment magnitude
- 5.6 Mww
- Nodal plane 1
- Strike 294°, dip 56°, rake -29°
- Nodal plane 2
- Strike 42°, dip 66°, rake -143°
How well it is located
Reviewed by a seismologist.
- Location uncertainty
- About 7.3 km horizontally, 3.7 km in depth
- Magnitude uncertainty
- ±0.06
- Depth from
- From location
- Station coverage gap
- 44°
- Stations used
- 130
Nearest places
Distance and direction from each place to the epicenter, with its forecast.
Nearby
Within 100 km, magnitude 2.6 and up: 8 in the 60 days after this one and 4 in the 30 days before it.
After
- 4.6102 km NW of Hihifo, Tonga · 957 days ago · 174 km deep · 87 km away
- 4.9149 km WNW of Hihifo, Tonga · 939 days ago · 9 km deep · 85 km away
- 4.491 km W of Hihifo, Tonga · 934 days ago · 274 km deep · 24 km away
- 4.4163 km WNW of Hihifo, Tonga · 920 days ago · 310 km deep · 89 km away
- 4.314 km NNE of Hihifo, Tonga · 919 days ago · 55 km deep · 98 km away
- 4.1167 km WSW of Hihifo, Tonga · 917 days ago · 253 km deep · 94 km away
- 4.0116 km WNW of Hihifo, Tonga · 912 days ago · 274 km deep · 51 km away
- 4.488 km SSW of Hihifo, Tonga · 905 days ago · 117 km deep · 100 km away
Before
Earthquakes todayTonga earthquakesLive radar here
Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event us7000lzz2 (also filed as usauto7000lzz2, pt24049000). Read Sat, Oct 3, 2026, 3:43 PM UTC.