M5.6 earthquake 48 km WNW of Houma, Tonga
A magnitude 5.6 earthquake struck 48 km WNW of Houma, Tonga on Tue, Nov 19, 2024, 3:41 PM GMT+13 (02:41 UTC), 8 km (5 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
- 2024-11-19 02:41:52 UTC
- Depth
- 8.0 km (5.0 mi), shallow
- Epicenter
- 21.046° S, 175.752° W
- Region
- Tonga
- Strongest shaking
- V, moderate 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 · ±0.061 · 26 stations |
| 6.0 | Mi | NOAA Pacific Tsunami Warning Center | First automatic solution · Reviewed · 7 stations |
| 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
- V, moderate shaking
- Peak ground acceleration
- 6.5% of gravity
- Peak ground velocity
- 3.9 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
- Reverse (thrust)
- Moment magnitude
- 5.6 Mww
- Nodal plane 1
- Strike 171°, dip 66°, rake 106°
- Nodal plane 2
- Strike 317°, dip 29°, rake 59°
How well it is located
Reviewed by a seismologist.
- Location uncertainty
- About 10.5 km horizontally, 1.8 km in depth
- Magnitude uncertainty
- ±0.06
- Depth from
- From modeling of broad-band P waveforms
- Station coverage gap
- 74°
- Stations used
- 72
Nearest places
Distance and direction from each place to the epicenter, with its forecast.
Nearby
Within 100 km, magnitude 2.6 and up: 3 in the 60 days after this one and 1 in the 30 days before it.
After
- 5.5118 km WNW of Houma, Tonga · 682 days ago · 213 km deep · 71 km away · felt by 3
- 4.266 km NW of Houma, Tonga · 678 days ago · 92 km deep · 28 km away
- 4.382 km SW of Houma, Tonga · 660 days ago · 146 km deep · 79 km away
Before
Earthquakes todayTonga earthquakesLive radar here
Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event us7000nsjt (also filed as usauto7000nsjt, pt24324000). Read Sat, Oct 3, 2026, 8:18 PM UTC.