M4.5 earthquake 280 km WNW of Houma, Tonga
A magnitude 4.5 earthquake struck 280 km WNW of Houma, Tonga on Wed, Aug 19, 2026, 5:48 AM GMT+13 (16:48 UTC), 408 km (253 mi) below the surface.
A larger quake followed: M5.0 Fiji region. This one was a foreshock.
Map
Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.
The earthquake
- Magnitude
- 4.5 (mb, body-wave), light
- Magnitude from
- USGS National Earthquake Information Center
- Local time
- UTC
- 2026-08-18 16:48:10 UTC
- Depth
- 408.0 km (253.5 mi), deep
- Epicenter
- 20.022° S, 177.705° 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 11.2 km horizontally, 6.9 km in depth
- Magnitude uncertainty
- ±0.07
- Depth from
- From location
- Station coverage gap
- 96°
- Stations used
- 74
Nearest places
Distance and direction from each place to the epicenter, with its forecast.
Nearby
Within 100 km, magnitude 1.5 and up: 10 since this one and 7 in the 30 days before it.
After
- 4.2280 km WNW of Houma, Tonga · 45 days ago · 506 km deep · 12 km away
- 4.4278 km NW of Houma, Tonga · 40 days ago · 541 km deep · 43 km away
- 4.9265 km WNW of Houma, Tonga · 36 days ago · 519 km deep · 43 km away
- 5.0Fiji region · 32 days ago · 536 km deep · 67 km away
- 4.6Fiji region · 24 days ago · 502 km deep · 86 km away
- 4.3Fiji region · 18 days ago · 583 km deep · 87 km away
- 4.1256 km WNW of Houma, Tonga · 16 days ago · 423 km deep · 40 km away
- 4.3Fiji region · 13 days ago · 579 km deep · 89 km away
- 4.5280 km WNW of Houma, Tonga · 13 days ago · 513 km deep · 42 km away
- 4.4Fiji region · 12 days ago · 584 km deep · 96 km away
Before
- 4.5276 km WNW of Houma, Tonga · 49 days ago · 543 km deep · 53 km away
- 4.3Fiji region · 61 days ago · 574 km deep · 88 km away
- 4.4Fiji region · 62 days ago · 532 km deep · 49 km away
- 4.4Fiji region · 64 days ago · 577 km deep · 80 km away
- 4.1Fiji region · 66 days ago · 551 km deep · 95 km away
- 4.0Fiji region · 74 days ago · 554 km deep · 53 km away
- 4.2Fiji region · 74 days ago · 593 km deep · 55 km away
Earthquakes todayTonga earthquakesLive radar here
Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event us6000tn5y. Read Sat, Oct 3, 2026, 9:42 AM UTC.