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M5.0 Earthquake near Tonga Islands

UTC time: 2026-07-16 13:56:11 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
M5.0
Depth
241.0 km
Source
GFZ

Tonga Islands

Map

M5.0 Earthquake near Tonga Islands · 2026-07-16 — Map showing the location of the epicenter
M5.0 Earthquake near Tonga Islands · 2026-07-16 — Map showing the location of the epicenter

About this earthquake

A magnitude M5.0 earthquake was recorded near Tonga Islands on July 16, 2026 at 13:56 UTC. The earthquake originated at an intermediate depth of about 241 km. Earthquakes of this magnitude can damage poorly built structures.

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

Details

ID
6645bf521719df3409ca00de651b6e4f8ce515bb
Magnitude
M5.0
Depth
241.0 km
UTC time
2026-07-16 13:56:11 UTC
Local time
—
Country
—
Source
gfz
Coordinates
-18.55000, -175.05000
Temperature
22.7°C

Depth profile

Depth profile Depth: 241 km (Intermediate) Surface Shallow Intermediate Deep 0 km 70 km 300 km 700 km 241 km
Intermediate
241 km
Why depth matters

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

Depth classes per USGS

Tectonic context

Located on the Niuafoʻou Plate.
Near the boundary Tonga ↔ Niuafoʻou · about 12 km away

Nearby population centers

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

PlaceDistanceDirectionPopulation
Nuku'alofa288.1 kmS22'400

GeoNames · CC BY 4.0

Volcanoes nearby

  • Late
    Distance: 51 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: 540 m ·Last eruption: 1854 ·Tonga
  • Home Reef
    Distance: 57 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: -10 m ·Last eruption: 2026 ·Tonga
  • Lateiki
    Distance: 73 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: 43 m ·Last eruption: 2019 ·Tonga
  • Tofua Arc at 18.3°S
    Distance: 76 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: -40 m ·Last eruption: 2019 ·Tonga
  • Fonualei
    Distance: 97 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: 188 m ·Last eruption: 1957 ·Tonga
  • Kao
    Distance: 124 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: 1'009 m ·Last eruption: 1847 ·Tonga

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#15
Earlier events M≥481
Earlier events M≥520
Compared since2025-01-02

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

Strongest earlier events

M7.52026-03-24 04:37:50 UTC55.3 km166 km W of Neiafu, Tonga M6.42025-05-14 04:15:39 UTC33.0 kmTonga Islands M6.42025-05-14 04:15:38 UTC31.0 km137 km W of Neiafu, Tonga M6.42025-05-14 04:15:37 UTC27.3 kmTONGA M5.52026-04-13 02:15:01 UTC42.8 kmTONGA

Stats (last 24h)

Global (24h)
504
Country (24h)
—
—
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