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M5.2 Earthquake near Tonga Islands

UTC time: 2025-05-18 07:54:38 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
M5.2
Depth
165.0 km
Source
GFZ

Tonga Islands

Map

M5.2 Earthquake near Tonga Islands · 2025-05-18 — Map showing the location of the epicenter
M5.2 Earthquake near Tonga Islands · 2025-05-18 — Map showing the location of the epicenter

About this earthquake

A magnitude M5.2 earthquake was recorded near Tonga Islands on May 18, 2025 at 07:54 UTC. The earthquake originated at an intermediate depth of about 165 km. Earthquakes of this magnitude can damage poorly built structures.

The data is provided by GFZ and cross-checked across seismological networks.

Details

ID
2133ef0a61bd47243ade442444d95a9e37df269c
Magnitude
M5.2
Depth
165.0 km
UTC time
2025-05-18 07:54:38 UTC
Local time
—
Country
—
Source
gfz
Coordinates
-17.51000, -173.92000
Temperature
26.6°C

Depth profile

Depth profile Depth: 165 km (Intermediate) Surface Shallow Intermediate Deep 0 km 70 km 300 km 700 km 165 km
Intermediate
165 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
Nuku'alofa425.1 kmS22'400

GeoNames · CC BY 4.0

Volcanoes nearby

  • Fonualei
    Distance: 71 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: 188 m ·Last eruption: 1957 ·Tonga
  • Tofua Arc at 18.3°S
    Distance: 102 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: -40 m ·Last eruption: 2019 ·Tonga
  • Late
    Distance: 163 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: 540 m ·Last eruption: 1854 ·Tonga
  • Tafahi
    Distance: 185 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: 546 m ·Tonga
  • Home Reef
    Distance: 188 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: -10 m ·Last eruption: 2026 ·Tonga
  • Lateiki
    Distance: 211 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: 43 m ·Last eruption: 2019 ·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 eventM5.4
M4.62025-05-21 15:19:24 UTC144.0 kmTONGA M5.02025-05-21 15:19:25 UTC123.5 kmTonga Islands M4.52025-06-13 08:59:37 UTC68.6 kmTONGA M4.52025-06-13 08:59:39 UTC47.1 km132 km SSW of Hihifo, Tonga M5.42025-06-16 06:17:13 UTC55.7 kmTonga Islands M5.02025-06-16 06:17:16 UTC48.3 km125 km S of Hihifo, Tonga M5.02025-06-16 06:17:16 UTC43.9 kmTONGA

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#2
Earlier events M≥420
Earlier events M≥52
Compared since2025-01-02

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

Strongest earlier events

M5.32025-04-12 03:16:35 UTC99.6 km74 km S of Hihifo, Tonga M5.02025-01-28 21:06:28 UTC114.1 km13 km N of Neiafu, Tonga M4.92025-05-18 07:54:33 UTC62.7 kmTONGA M4.92025-04-17 01:14:29 UTC84.9 km146 km SSE of Hihifo, Tonga M4.92025-04-02 21:06:02 UTC103.2 km88 km SSE of Hihifo, Tonga

Stats (last 24h)

Global (24h)
493
Country (24h)
—
—
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