May 3, 2006 Earthquake: Tonga Islands

Name: May 3, 2006 Earthquake: Tonga Islands
Start: 2006-05-03
Location: Tonga Islands

May 3, 2006 · M7.9

A magnitude 7.9 earthquake struck Tonga Islands on May 3, 2006 at 15:26:40 UTC, 55 km below the surface. It caused a tsunami.

Map

Where it struck, with the other significant earthquakes within 200 km. Circles are sized and colored by magnitude; select one for its page.

The earthquake

Date: May 3, 2006
Time: 15:26:40 UTC
Place: Tonga Islands
Magnitude: 7.9 (Mw)
Focal depth: 55 km (34 mi)
Intensity: 7 on the Modified Mercalli scale
Tsunami: Yes: the tsunami it caused
Epicenter: 20.187° S, 174.123° W
Country: Tonga

The toll

Injuries: 1
Damage: Limited (under about $1 million)

Where the literature gives no number, NCEI records a description on a scale of 1 to 4, printed here in its words. Damage is in millions of US dollars of the year of the event, not adjusted for inflation.

What the record says

NCEI’s account, from the sources it cites.

One person injured, a church damaged, windows broken and items

knocked from shelves (VII) at Nuku`alofa. Felt (VII)

at Neiafu. Felt at Hihifo, Pangai and Vaini. Felt

(III) at Apia, Samoa. Felt in American Samoa. Felt at

Atiu and Avarua, Cook Islands; at Suva, Fiji; at

Alofi, Niue; at Mulifanua, Samoa. Also felt at

Auckland, Minginui, Napier, Wanganui, Wellington and

Whakatane, New Zealand. A tsunami was generated. (above from reference #1053)

Other significant earthquakes nearby

Within 200 km, the deadliest first.

Significant earthquakes of 2006 The 2000s Every quake the USGS located in 2006 Recent earthquakes near here This day in weather history

Sources

Significant earthquakes from NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information, Global Historical Hazard Database, cited as NCEI/WDS, doi:10.7289/V5PN93H7. Public domain. Read 2026-09-24. NCEI earthquake 7078.