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M5.4 Earthquake near Tonga Islands

UTC time: 2026-03-29 23:45:14 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
M5.4
Depth
53.0 km
Source
GFZ

Tonga Islands

Map

M5.4 Earthquake near Tonga Islands · 2026-03-29 — Map showing the location of the epicenter
M5.4 Earthquake near Tonga Islands · 2026-03-29 — Map showing the location of the epicenter

About this earthquake

A magnitude M5.4 earthquake was recorded near Tonga Islands on March 29, 2026 at 23:45 UTC. The hypocenter lay relatively close to the surface at around 53 km, increasing how strongly it was felt. Events of this size can cause damage near the epicenter.

The event was recorded by GFZ.

Details

ID
6c66c706c1710b2f05acf3802411c0ef3f2d12f5
Magnitude
M5.4
Depth
53.0 km
UTC time
2026-03-29 23:45:14 UTC
Local time
—
Country
—
Source
gfz
Coordinates
-16.55000, -173.58000
Temperature
28.2°C

Depth profile

Depth profile Depth: 53 km (Shallow) Surface Shallow Intermediate Deep 0 km 70 km 300 km 700 km 53 km
Shallow
53 km
Why depth matters

Shallow quakes release energy near the surface — shaking is felt more strongly and damage potential is higher.

Depth classes per USGS

Nearby population centers

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

PlaceDistanceDirectionPopulation
Apia359.3 kmNE40'407

GeoNames · CC BY 4.0

Volcanoes nearby

  • Tafahi
    Distance: 79 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: 546 m ·Tonga
  • Curacoa
    Distance: 104 km ·Complex ·Elevation: -33 m ·Last eruption: 1979 ·Tonga
  • Niuatahi
    Distance: 139 km ·Caldera ·Elevation: -1'270 m ·Tonga
  • Tafu-Maka
    Distance: 148 km ·Fissure vent ·Elevation: -1'400 m ·Last eruption: 2008 ·Tonga
  • West Mata
    Distance: 162 km ·Fissure vent(s) ·Elevation: -1'174 m ·Last eruption: 2009 ·Tonga
  • Fonualei
    Distance: 182 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: 188 m ·Last eruption: 1957 ·Tonga

Radius · 100 km

Nearby infrastructure

Up to 3 nearest sites per category

Airports

  • Kuini Lavenia AirportTonga · NTT · NFTP
    67.6 kmStraight-line distance

Source: OurAirports · Dataset date: 2026-10-05

This selection shows geographic proximity, not a hazard zone or confirmed impacts. Distances use recorded site coordinates. Sources & data dates

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 eventM6.1
M5.22026-04-03 02:49:55 UTC57.3 kmTonga Islands M5.12026-04-03 02:49:56 UTC68.7 kmEvent of magnitude 5.1, near of Nouméa (Monde) M5.02026-04-03 02:49:59 UTC63.9 kmTonga Islands M4.82026-04-03 02:50:12 UTC54.5 kmTONGA M4.82026-04-18 09:32:01 UTC147.0 kmTONGA M5.02026-04-18 09:32:02 UTC112.7 kmTonga Islands M5.42026-04-19 17:34:45 UTC139.2 kmEvent of magnitude 5.4, near Nouméa (Monde) M6.12026-04-19 17:34:49 UTC149.8 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#19
Earlier events M≥4100
Earlier events M≥553
Compared since2025-01-05

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

Strongest earlier events

M6.32026-03-22 15:30:40 UTC132.9 kmTonga Islands M6.32026-03-22 15:28:08 UTC139.0 kmTonga [Sea] M6.32026-03-22 06:15:47 UTC144.7 kmTonga [Sea] M6.22026-03-22 06:15:36 UTC141.8 km###.# km ( ###.# mi) SW (az= 234.7) from San Miguel Is., CA M6.12026-03-22 15:27:57 UTC140.1 kmTonga Islands

Stats (last 24h)

Global (24h)
604
Country (24h)
—
—
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