M5.2 earthquake 96 km NE of Hihifo, Tonga
A magnitude 5.2 earthquake struck 96 km NE of Hihifo, Tonga on Mon, Aug 18, 2025, 8:48 PM GMT+13 (07:48 UTC), 42 km (26 mi) below the surface.
Map
Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.
The earthquake
- Magnitude
- 5.2 (Mww, W-phase moment), moderate
- Magnitude from
- USGS National Earthquake Information Center
- Local time
- UTC
- 2025-08-18 07:48:48 UTC
- Depth
- 42.2 km (26.2 mi), shallow
- Epicenter
- 15.251° S, 173.267° W
- Region
- Tonga
- Felt reports
- 3
- Strongest shaking
- IV, light 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5.2 | Mww, W-phase moment | USGS National Earthquake Information Center | Preferred · Reviewed · ±0.103 · 9 stations |
| 5.6 | Mi | NOAA Pacific Tsunami Warning Center | Reviewed · 6 stations |
| 5.2 | 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.
- Strongest estimated
- IV, light shaking
- Peak ground acceleration
- 2.2% of gravity
- Peak ground velocity
- 1.6 cm/s
- Map
- Automatic
Did you feel it?
3 people reported to the USGS what they felt; the strongest reported shaking was III, weak 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% |
How well it is located
Reviewed by a seismologist.
- Location uncertainty
- About 10.1 km horizontally, 6.4 km in depth
- Magnitude uncertainty
- ±0.10
- Depth from
- From location
- Station coverage gap
- 45°
- Stations used
- 133
Nearest places
Distance and direction from each place to the epicenter, with its forecast.
Nearby
Within 100 km, magnitude 2.2 and up: 8 in the 60 days after this one and 6 in the 30 days before it.
After
- 4.4122 km NNE of Hihifo, Tonga · 394 days ago · 35 km deep · 34 km away
- 4.693 km N of Hihifo, Tonga · 391 days ago · 10 km deep · 64 km away
- 4.6117 km NNE of Hihifo, Tonga · 389 days ago · 10 km deep · 28 km away
- 4.3111 km NNE of Hihifo, Tonga · 388 days ago · 31 km deep · 47 km away
- 4.162 km NNE of Hihifo, Tonga · 387 days ago · 43 km deep · 41 km away
- 5.1100 km NNE of Hihifo, Tonga · 374 days ago · 10 km deep · 37 km away
- 4.9125 km SSW of Gataivai, Samoa · 354 days ago · 10 km deep · 69 km away
- 4.4138 km SW of Gataivai, Samoa · 353 days ago · 10 km deep · 53 km away
Before
- 4.840 km E of Hihifo, Tonga · 417 days ago · 10 km deep · 84 km away
- 4.1109 km NNE of Hihifo, Tonga · 417 days ago · 10 km deep · 39 km away
- 5.693 km NNE of Hihifo, Tonga · 419 days ago · 36 km deep · 7 km away · felt by 4
- 4.7126 km NE of Hihifo, Tonga · 420 days ago · 10 km deep · 47 km away
- 4.397 km NE of Hihifo, Tonga · 437 days ago · 10 km deep · 5 km away
- 4.596 km NNE of Hihifo, Tonga · 442 days ago · 10 km deep · 7 km away
Earthquakes todayTonga earthquakesLive radar here
Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event us6000r1uh (also filed as pt25230000, usauto6000r1uh). Read Mon, Oct 5, 2026, 3:24 AM UTC.