M5.3 earthquake 189 km SW of Houma, Tonga
A magnitude 5.3 earthquake struck 189 km SW of Houma, Tonga on Sun, Feb 22, 2026, 9:45 PM GMT+13 (08:45 UTC), 194 km (121 mi) below the surface.
Map
Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.
The earthquake
- Magnitude
- 5.3 (Mww, W-phase moment), moderate
- Magnitude from
- USGS National Earthquake Information Center
- Local time
- UTC
- 2026-02-22 08:45:49 UTC
- Depth
- 194.1 km (120.6 mi), intermediate-depth
- Epicenter
- 22.156° S, 176.796° W
- Region
- Tonga
- Felt reports
- 1
- 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5.3 | Mww, W-phase moment | USGS National Earthquake Information Center | Preferred · Reviewed · ±0.075 · 17 stations |
| 5.4 | 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
- III, weak shaking
- Peak ground acceleration
- 0.5% of gravity
- Peak ground velocity
- 0.3 cm/s
- Map
- Automatic
Did you feel it?
1 person reported to the USGS what they felt; the strongest reported shaking was II, 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% |
Fault motion and ground failure
How the rock slipped, from the moment tensor, and the USGS estimate of landslides and liquefaction.
- Faulting
- Oblique reverse
- Moment magnitude
- 5.3 Mww
- Nodal plane 1
- Strike 220°, dip 83°, rake 125°
- Nodal plane 2
- Strike 320°, dip 35°, rake 11°
How well it is located
Reviewed by a seismologist.
- Location uncertainty
- About 10.8 km horizontally, 6.7 km in depth
- Magnitude uncertainty
- ±0.07
- Depth from
- From location
- Station coverage gap
- 71°
- Stations used
- 56
Nearest places
Distance and direction from each place to the epicenter, with its forecast.
Nearby
Within 100 km, magnitude 2.3 and up: 4 in the 60 days after this one and 1 in the 30 days before it.
After
- 5.3168 km WSW of Houma, Tonga · 211 days ago · 199 km deep · 26 km away
- 4.1171 km SW of Houma, Tonga · 208 days ago · 206 km deep · 18 km away
- 4.4272 km SW of Houma, Tonga · 198 days ago · 249 km deep · 86 km away
- 4.5160 km WSW of Houma, Tonga · 171 days ago · 208 km deep · 39 km away
Before
Earthquakes todayTonga earthquakesLive radar here
Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event us6000sarm (also filed as usauto6000sarm). Read Sun, Oct 4, 2026, 11:02 PM UTC.