M5.4 earthquake 266 km W of Houma, Tonga
A magnitude 5.4 earthquake struck 266 km W of Houma, Tonga on Thu, Apr 18, 2024, 10:31 AM GMT+13 (21:31 UTC), 388 km (241 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
- 2024-04-17 21:31:47 UTC
- Depth
- 387.8 km (241.0 mi), deep
- Epicenter
- 21.274° S, 177.868° W
- Region
- Tonga
- Strongest shaking
- I, not felt 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5.4 | Mww, W-phase moment | USGS National Earthquake Information Center | Preferred · Reviewed · ±0.086 · 13 stations |
| 5.5 | Mww, W-phase moment | USGS, automatic first solution | First automatic solution · Preliminary |
Shaking
The USGS ShakeMap: shaking estimated from seismic stations and the quake’s size, on the Modified Mercalli intensity scale.
- 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
- Normal
- Moment magnitude
- 5.4 Mww
- Nodal plane 1
- Strike 25°, dip 71°, rake -98°
- Nodal plane 2
- Strike 228°, dip 20°, rake -68°
How well it is located
Reviewed by a seismologist.
- Location uncertainty
- About 9.3 km horizontally, 4.3 km in depth
- Magnitude uncertainty
- ±0.09
- Depth from
- From location
- Station coverage gap
- 19°
- Stations used
- 273
Nearest places
Distance and direction from each place to the epicenter, with its forecast.
Nearby
Within 100 km, magnitude 2.4 and up: 16 in the 60 days after this one and 10 in the 30 days before it.
After
- 4.3Fiji region · 895 days ago · 579 km deep · 87 km away
- 4.6Fiji region · 893 days ago · 559 km deep · 71 km away
- 4.4Fiji region · 877 days ago · 587 km deep · 84 km away
- 4.3261 km WNW of Houma, Tonga · 875 days ago · 542 km deep · 70 km away
- 4.1Fiji region · 875 days ago · 532 km deep · 85 km away
- 4.4270 km WNW of Houma, Tonga · 871 days ago · 474 km deep · 74 km away
- 4.1274 km WNW of Houma, Tonga · 869 days ago · 481 km deep · 94 km away
- 4.3269 km WNW of Houma, Tonga · 868 days ago · 480 km deep · 81 km away
- 4.4Fiji region · 860 days ago · 538 km deep · 82 km away
- 4.1285 km WNW of Houma, Tonga · 858 days ago · 556 km deep · 85 km away
- 4.3297 km WNW of Houma, Tonga · 855 days ago · 550 km deep · 96 km away
- 4.1Fiji region · 852 days ago · 529 km deep · 79 km away
- 4.3Fiji region · 849 days ago · 591 km deep · 81 km away
- 4.6Fiji region · 846 days ago · 543 km deep · 84 km away
- 4.1249 km WNW of Houma, Tonga · 844 days ago · 506 km deep · 97 km away
- 4.4256 km WNW of Houma, Tonga · 838 days ago · 489 km deep · 92 km away
Before
- 4.5Fiji region · 904 days ago · 458 km deep · 86 km away
- 4.4282 km WNW of Houma, Tonga · 907 days ago · 538 km deep · 95 km away
- 4.5Fiji region · 908 days ago · 532 km deep · 96 km away
- 4.4248 km WNW of Houma, Tonga · 909 days ago · 495 km deep · 91 km away
- 4.2271 km W of Houma, Tonga · 912 days ago · 473 km deep · 46 km away
- 4.8Fiji region · 914 days ago · 545 km deep · 75 km away
- 4.2282 km WNW of Houma, Tonga · 915 days ago · 557 km deep · 93 km away
- 4.4Fiji region · 917 days ago · 566 km deep · 91 km away
- 4.2Fiji region · 925 days ago · 560 km deep · 91 km away
- 4.0Fiji region · 927 days ago · 538 km deep · 88 km away
Earthquakes todayTonga earthquakesLive radar here
Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event us7000mcru (also filed as usauto7000mcru). Read Fri, Oct 2, 2026, 11:38 AM UTC.