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M5.5 Earthquake near south of Tonga

UTC time: 2025-08-16 22:52:11 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
M5.5
Depth
35.0 km
Source
USGS

south of Tonga

Map

M5.5 Earthquake near south of Tonga · 2025-08-16 — Map showing the location of the epicenter
M5.5 Earthquake near south of Tonga · 2025-08-16 — Map showing the location of the epicenter

About this earthquake

On August 16, 2025 at 22:52 UTC, a magnitude M5.5 earthquake occurred near south of Tonga. With a focal depth of about 35 km, this was a shallow earthquake, whose shaking is usually felt more strongly at the surface. Events of this size can cause damage near the epicenter.

The event was recorded by USGS.

Details

ID
7eb643124e0324bb0d078c6c5fc2b3074a84a4f6
Magnitude
M5.5
Depth
35.0 km
UTC time
2025-08-16 22:52:11 UTC
Local time
—
Country
—
Source
usgs
Coordinates
-24.58610, -175.86820
Temperature
21.9°C

Depth profile

Depth profile Depth: 35 km (Shallow) Surface Shallow Intermediate Deep 0 km 70 km 300 km 700 km 35 km
Shallow
35 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
Nuku'alofa389.6 kmN22'400

GeoNames · CC BY 4.0

Volcanoes nearby

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 hours6
Strongest subsequent eventM6.0
M5.62025-08-18 23:03:09 UTC18.8 kmSouth of Tonga Islands M5.32025-08-18 23:03:09 UTC34.4 kmEvent of magnitude 5.3, near of Auckland (Monde) M5.62025-08-18 23:03:12 UTC16.0 kmSOUTH OF TONGA M5.72025-08-18 23:03:12 UTC68.9 kmSouth of Tonga Islands [Sea: Tonga] M5.32025-08-19 14:37:12 UTC18.0 kmSouth of Tonga Islands M5.42025-08-19 14:37:16 UTC18.8 kmsouth of Tonga M5.52025-08-23 00:10:54 UTC34.6 kmSouth of Tonga Islands M5.52025-08-23 00:10:55 UTC9.2 kmsouth of Tonga M5.22025-08-23 00:10:56 UTC27.7 kmEvent of magnitude 5.2, near of Auckland (Monde) M6.02025-08-23 00:11:01 UTC72.7 kmSouth of Tonga Islands [Sea: Tonga] M5.02025-08-23 00:43:45 UTC16.1 kmSOUTH OF TONGA M5.22025-08-27 00:10:38 UTC38.6 kmsouth of 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#3
Earlier events M≥432
Earlier events M≥515
Compared since2025-01-12

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

Strongest earlier events

M6.02025-02-07 10:26:59 UTC79.3 kmsouth of the Fiji Islands M5.72025-08-16 22:52:05 UTC57.9 kmSouth of Tonga Islands M5.42025-08-16 22:52:07 UTC32.3 kmEvent of magnitude 5.4, near of Auckland (Monde) M5.22025-07-17 07:57:54 UTC67.1 kmSouth of Tonga Islands M5.22025-05-19 15:24:13 UTC94.3 kmSouth of Tonga Islands

Stats (last 24h)

Global (24h)
511
Country (24h)
—
—
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