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M5.0 Earthquake near Tonga Islands

UTC time: 2026-05-03 12:09:48 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
143.0 km
Source
GFZ

Tonga Islands

Map

M5.0 Earthquake near Tonga Islands · 2026-05-03 — Map showing the location of the epicenter
M5.0 Earthquake near Tonga Islands · 2026-05-03 — Map showing the location of the epicenter

About this earthquake

On May 3, 2026 at 12:09 UTC, a magnitude M5.0 earthquake occurred near Tonga Islands. At around 143 km, the focal depth places this among intermediate-depth events. Earthquakes of this magnitude can damage poorly built structures.

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

Details

ID
7a63b8bce950c7b20782f24d9d7f0026d68ded10
Magnitude
M5.0
Depth
143.0 km
UTC time
2026-05-03 12:09:48 UTC
Local time
—
Country
—
Source
gfz
Coordinates
-16.97000, -174.25000
Temperature
26.2°C

Depth profile

Depth profile Depth: 143 km (Intermediate) Surface Shallow Intermediate Deep 0 km 70 km 300 km 700 km 143 km
Intermediate
143 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
Apia438.7 kmNE40'407

GeoNames · CC BY 4.0

Volcanoes nearby

  • Fonualei
    Distance: 117 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: 188 m ·Last eruption: 1957 ·Tonga
  • Tafahi
    Distance: 135 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: 546 m ·Tonga
  • Tofua Arc at 18.3°S
    Distance: 151 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: -40 m ·Last eruption: 2019 ·Tonga
  • Curacoa
    Distance: 162 km ·Complex ·Elevation: -33 m ·Last eruption: 1979 ·Tonga
  • Tafu-Maka
    Distance: 178 km ·Fissure vent ·Elevation: -1'400 m ·Last eruption: 2008 ·Tonga
  • Niuatahi
    Distance: 180 km ·Caldera ·Elevation: -1'270 m ·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#19
Earlier events M≥479
Earlier events M≥527
Compared since2025-01-05

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

Strongest earlier events

M6.02026-03-08 09:28:26 UTC105.3 kmTonga Islands M5.92026-03-08 09:28:26 UTC113.4 km15 km WSW of Hihifo, Tonga M5.42026-03-29 23:45:14 UTC85.3 kmTonga Islands M5.42025-06-29 01:56:15 UTC90.9 kmTonga Islands M5.42025-06-16 06:17:13 UTC14.6 kmTonga Islands

Stats (last 24h)

Global (24h)
606
Country (24h)
—
—
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