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M6.1 Earthquake near Tonga [Sea]

UTC time: 2026-05-12 21:19:33 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. How our reports are produced ↗

Magnitude
M6.1
Depth
160.5 km
Source
INGV

Tonga [Sea]

Map

M6.1 Earthquake near Tonga [Sea] · 2026-05-12 — Map showing the location of the epicenter
M6.1 Earthquake near Tonga [Sea] · 2026-05-12 — Map showing the location of the epicenter

About this earthquake

On May 12, 2026 at 21:19 UTC, a magnitude M6.1 earthquake occurred near Tonga [Sea]. At around 161 km, the focal depth places this among intermediate-depth events. Events of this size are considered strong and can be dangerous in inhabited regions.

The event was recorded by INGV.

Details

ID
4aa024d5d847f2eadc9a9f49eaa18ab4c15bf2bd
Magnitude
M6.1
Depth
160.5 km
UTC time
2026-05-12 21:19:33 UTC
Local time
—
Country
—
Source
ingv
Coordinates
-23.29100, -176.11600
Temperature
23.0°C

Depth profile

Depth profile Depth: 160.5 km (Intermediate) Surface Shallow Intermediate Deep 0 km 70 km 300 km 700 km 160.5 km
Intermediate
160.5 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'alofa257.4 kmN22'400

GeoNames · CC BY 4.0

Volcanoes nearby

Subsequent earthquakes nearby

Events recorded after this earthquake within 250 km. They are not automatically classified as aftershocks.

First 6 hours3
First 24 hours3
First 72 hours3
Strongest subsequent eventM5.7
M5.72026-05-12 21:19:35 UTC75.4 km275 km SW of Houma, Tonga M5.42026-05-12 21:19:36 UTC70.5 kmEvent of magnitude 5.4, near North Shore (Monde) M5.72026-05-12 21:19:44 UTC97.6 kmSouth of Fiji Islands M4.72026-05-24 13:19:58 UTC110.6 kmSOUTH OF FIJI ISLANDS M5.02026-05-24 13:20:00 UTC101.5 kmSouth of Fiji Islands M4.92026-06-02 09:28:11 UTC213.9 kmTonga Islands M4.82026-06-10 23:50:23 UTC74.7 kmTONGA REGION

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 250 km.

Magnitude rank#1
Earlier events M≥4143
Earlier events M≥577
Compared since2025-01-02

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

Strongest earlier events

M6.02025-08-23 00:11:01 UTC148.6 kmSouth of Tonga Islands [Sea: Tonga] M6.02025-06-06 19:28:31 UTC232.9 kmSOUTH OF FIJI ISLANDS M6.02025-05-25 10:49:53 UTC63.5 kmTonga Islands Region M6.02025-05-25 10:49:53 UTC68.8 kmTONGA REGION M6.02025-02-07 10:26:59 UTC69.8 kmsouth of the Fiji Islands

Stats (last 24h)

Global (24h)
499
Country (24h)
—
—
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