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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.

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)
660
Country (24h)
—
—
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