M5.4 earthquake 79 km SSE of Pangai, Tonga
A magnitude 5.4 earthquake struck 79 km SSE of Pangai, Tonga on Mon, May 12, 2025, 11:04 AM GMT+13 (22:04 UTC), 10 km (6 mi) below the surface.
A larger quake followed: M5.5 77 km NE of ‘Ohonua, Tonga. This one was a foreshock.
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
- 2025-05-11 22:04:56 UTC
- Depth
- 10.0 km (6.2 mi), shallow
- Epicenter
- 20.498° S, 174.137° W
- Region
- Tonga
- 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5.4 | Mww, W-phase moment | USGS National Earthquake Information Center | Preferred · Reviewed · ±0.071 · 19 stations |
| 5.4 | 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
- IV, light shaking
- Peak ground acceleration
- 2.2% of gravity
- Peak ground velocity
- 1.4 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
- 5.4 Mww
- Nodal plane 1
- Strike 34°, dip 59°, rake 119°
- Nodal plane 2
- Strike 167°, dip 41°, rake 51°
How well it is located
Reviewed by a seismologist.
- Location uncertainty
- About 12.3 km horizontally, 1.8 km in depth
- Magnitude uncertainty
- ±0.07
- Depth from
- Operator assigned
- Station coverage gap
- 69°
- Stations used
- 81
Nearest places
Distance and direction from each place to the epicenter, with its forecast.
Nearby
Within 100 km, magnitude 2.4 and up: 8 in the 60 days after this one and 7 in the 30 days before it.
After
- 4.5136 km SE of Pangai, Tonga · 511 days ago · 10 km deep · 67 km away
- 4.4110 km SE of Pangai, Tonga · 506 days ago · 10 km deep · 42 km away
- 4.481 km E of Fangale’ounga, Tonga · 493 days ago · 10 km deep · 92 km away
- 5.076 km ESE of Fangale’ounga, Tonga · 477 days ago · 8 km deep · 85 km away
- 4.698 km SSE of Pangai, Tonga · 467 days ago · 10 km deep · 21 km away
- 4.5135 km SSE of Pangai, Tonga · 466 days ago · 10 km deep · 60 km away
- 4.366 km NE of ‘Ohonua, Tonga · 464 days ago · 35 km deep · 64 km away
- 5.577 km NE of ‘Ohonua, Tonga · 455 days ago · 10 km deep · 53 km away
Before
- 5.069 km ENE of ‘Ohonua, Tonga · 516 days ago · 10 km deep · 70 km away
- 5.1120 km ENE of ‘Ohonua, Tonga · 523 days ago · 10 km deep · 48 km away
- 4.3117 km ESE of Fangale’ounga, Tonga · 523 days ago · 10 km deep · 91 km away
- 4.592 km SSE of Pangai, Tonga · 523 days ago · 10 km deep · 14 km away
- 5.0139 km SE of Pangai, Tonga · 530 days ago · 10 km deep · 77 km away
- 4.9116 km ESE of Fangale’ounga, Tonga · 530 days ago · 10 km deep · 99 km away
- 4.761 km SSE of Pangai, Tonga · 533 days ago · 35 km deep · 18 km away
Earthquakes todayTonga earthquakesLive radar here
Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event us7000pyqf (also filed as usauto7000pyqf). Read Sun, Oct 4, 2026, 12:01 PM UTC.