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M5.1 Earthquake near Tonga Islands

UTC time: 2025-12-28 18:03:50 UTC Local time: —
Earthquake newsQuakeMap24
Archive record · original publication time was not recorded

Automatically generated from measurement data by QuakeMap24. Values may change after further analysis.

Magnitude
M5.1
Depth
127.0 km
Source
GFZ

Tonga Islands

Map

M5.1 Earthquake near Tonga Islands · 2025-12-28 — Map showing the location of the epicenter
M5.1 Earthquake near Tonga Islands · 2025-12-28 — Map showing the location of the epicenter

About this earthquake

A magnitude M5.1 earthquake was recorded near Tonga Islands on December 28, 2025 at 18:03 UTC. At around 127 km, the focal depth places this among intermediate-depth events. Earthquakes of this magnitude can damage poorly built structures.

The event was recorded by GFZ.

Details

ID
2089c205f56c25df1826e5bc8a9c8768d2bb8413
Magnitude
M5.1
Depth
127.0 km
UTC time
2025-12-28 18:03:50 UTC
Local time
—
Country
—
Source
gfz
Coordinates
-17.06000, -174.17000
Temperature
27.4°C

Depth profile

Depth profile Depth: 127 km (Intermediate) Surface Shallow Intermediate Deep 0 km 70 km 300 km 700 km 127 km
Intermediate
127 km
Why depth matters

Intermediate-depth quakes are felt across a wider area but usually cause less surface damage.

Depth classes per USGS

Nearby population centers

Distances are straight-line distances from the epicenter. Population data: GeoNames.

PlaceDistanceDirectionPopulation
Apia441.7 kmNE40'407

GeoNames · CC BY 4.0

Volcanoes nearby

  • Fonualei
    Distance: 108 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: 188 m ·Last eruption: 1957 ·Tonga
  • Tafahi
    Distance: 141 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: 546 m ·Tonga
  • Tofua Arc at 18.3°S
    Distance: 142 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: -40 m ·Last eruption: 2019 ·Tonga
  • Curacoa
    Distance: 169 km ·Complex ·Elevation: -33 m ·Last eruption: 1979 ·Tonga
  • Tafu-Maka
    Distance: 188 km ·Fissure vent ·Elevation: -1'400 m ·Last eruption: 2008 ·Tonga
  • Niuatahi
    Distance: 189 km ·Caldera ·Elevation: -1'270 m ·Tonga

Subsequent earthquakes nearby

Events recorded after this earthquake within 150 km. They are not automatically classified as aftershocks.

First 6 hours0
First 24 hours0
First 72 hours0
Strongest subsequent eventM5.3
M4.42026-01-05 07:10:23 UTC117.1 kmTONGA M4.42026-01-05 07:10:24 UTC109.0 km178 km SW of Hihifo, Tonga M4.72026-01-05 07:10:24 UTC115.4 kmTonga Islands M4.52026-01-18 11:05:57 UTC95.8 kmTonga Islands M5.32026-01-19 06:42:05 UTC94.7 kmTonga Islands M4.92026-01-27 12:43:24 UTC122.4 kmTonga Islands

No unambiguous area assignment

Context for this earthquake

This event has no unambiguous country assignment in the analysed catalogue. It is therefore not assigned to a regional profile.

Earthquake overview

Historical context nearby

Comparison with recorded earthquakes before this event within 150 km.

Magnitude rank#5
Earlier events M≥452
Earlier events M≥514
Compared since2025-01-05

The QuakeMap24 comparison dataset begins on 2024-03-23. Earlier earthquakes may not be included.

Strongest earlier events

M5.42025-06-29 01:56:15 UTC99.0 kmTonga Islands M5.42025-06-16 06:17:13 UTC2.1 kmTonga Islands M5.32025-04-12 03:16:35 UTC56.7 km74 km S of Hihifo, Tonga M5.22025-05-18 07:54:38 UTC56.6 kmTonga Islands M5.12025-08-11 06:37:43 UTC43.7 kmTONGA

Stats (last 24h)

Global (24h)
691
Country (24h)
—
—
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