Tonga earthquakes

M4.2 earthquake 280 km WNW of Houma, Tonga

A magnitude 4.2 earthquake struck 280 km WNW of Houma, Tonga on Wed, Aug 19, 2026, 12:53 PM GMT+13 (23:53 UTC), 506 km (314 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M5.0 Fiji region. This one was a foreshock.

Nuku‘alofa forecastMore in Tonga

Map

Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.

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The earthquake

Magnitude
4.2 (mb, body-wave), light
Magnitude from
USGS National Earthquake Information Center
Local time
UTC
2026-08-18 23:53:51 UTC
Depth
505.6 km (314.1 mi), deep
Epicenter
20.122° S, 177.757° W
Region
Tonga
Tsunami flag
No
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

Did you feel it?

No one has reported feeling this quake to the USGS.

How well it is located

Reviewed by a seismologist.

Location uncertainty
About 8.4 km horizontally, 6.5 km in depth
Magnitude uncertainty
±0.10
Depth from
From location
Station coverage gap
75°
Stations used
47

Nearest places

Distance and direction from each place to the epicenter, with its forecast.

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 1.5 and up: 8 since this one and 8 in the 30 days before it.

After

  1. 4.4278 km NW of Houma, Tonga · 40 days ago · 541 km deep · 55 km away
  2. 4.9265 km WNW of Houma, Tonga · 36 days ago · 519 km deep · 33 km away
  3. 5.0Fiji region · 32 days ago · 536 km deep · 55 km away
  4. 4.6Fiji region · 23 days ago · 502 km deep · 73 km away
  5. 4.3Fiji region · 17 days ago · 583 km deep · 98 km away
  6. 4.1256 km WNW of Houma, Tonga · 15 days ago · 423 km deep · 31 km away
  7. 4.5280 km WNW of Houma, Tonga · 12 days ago · 513 km deep · 30 km away
  8. 4.7Fiji region · 5 days ago · 573 km deep · 100 km away

Before

  1. 4.5280 km WNW of Houma, Tonga · 45 days ago · 408 km deep · 12 km away
  2. 4.5276 km WNW of Houma, Tonga · 49 days ago · 543 km deep · 40 km away
  3. 4.0Fiji region · 62 days ago · 539 km deep · 94 km away
  4. 4.4Fiji region · 62 days ago · 532 km deep · 39 km away
  5. 4.4Fiji region · 64 days ago · 577 km deep · 92 km away
  6. 4.1Fiji region · 65 days ago · 551 km deep · 83 km away
  7. 4.0Fiji region · 74 days ago · 554 km deep · 49 km away
  8. 4.2Fiji region · 74 days ago · 593 km deep · 56 km away

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Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event us6000tls4. Read Sat, Oct 3, 2026, 1:16 AM UTC.