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M5.2 Earthquake near 71 km ESE of ‘Ohonua, Tonga

UTC time: 2026-10-18 19:32:29 UTC Local time: —
Magnitude
M5.2
Depth
10.0 km
Source
USGS

71 km ESE of ‘Ohonua, Tonga

Map

M5.2 Earthquake near 71 km ESE of ‘Ohonua, Tonga · 2026-10-18 — Map showing the location of the epicenter
M5.2 Earthquake near 71 km ESE of ‘Ohonua, Tonga · 2026-10-18 — Map showing the location of the epicenter

About this earthquake

On October 18, 2026 at 19:32 UTC, a magnitude M5.2 earthquake occurred near 71 km ESE of ‘Ohonua, Tonga. With a focal depth of about 10 km, this was a shallow earthquake, whose shaking is usually felt more strongly at the surface. Earthquakes of this magnitude can damage poorly built structures.

The event was recorded by USGS.

Details

ID
8ed430db3944e90b82d113ca27cf196e6e3556e2
Magnitude
M5.2
Depth
10.0 km
UTC time
2026-10-18 19:32:29 UTC
Local time
—
Country
—
Source
usgs
Coordinates
-21.54100, -174.29560
Temperature
20.5°C

Depth profile

Depth profile Depth: 10 km (Shallow) Surface Shallow Intermediate Deep 0 km 70 km 300 km 700 km 10 km
Shallow
10 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

Tectonic context

Located on the Tonga Plate.
Near the boundary Tonga ↔ Pacific · about 47 km away

Nearby population centers

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

PlaceDistanceDirectionPopulation
Nuku'alofa65.7 kmNW22'400

GeoNames · CC BY 4.0

Volcanoes nearby

  • Tofua Arc at 21.3°S
    Distance: 142 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: -68 m ·Last eruption: 1932 ·Tonga
  • Tofua Arc at 20.9°S
    Distance: 151 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: -296 m ·Last eruption: 2017 ·Tonga
  • Tofua Arc at 21.1°S
    Distance: 157 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: -65 m ·Tonga
  • Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai
    Distance: 158 km ·Caldera ·Elevation: 114 m ·Last eruption: 2022 ·Tonga
  • Fonuafo'ou
    Distance: 179 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: -17 m ·Last eruption: 1936 ·Tonga
  • Tofua
    Distance: 215 km ·Caldera ·Elevation: 515 m ·Last eruption: 2026 ·Tonga

Radius · 100 km

Nearby infrastructure

Up to 3 nearest sites per category

Airports

  • Kaufana AirportTonga · EUA · NFTE
    70.9 kmStraight-line distance
  • Fua'amotu International AirportTonga · TBU · NFTF
    94.4 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

Comparison of seismic sources

3 sources currently report magnitudes from M5.2 to M5.4.

Measurements can differ because agencies use different networks and calculation methods. Values may be revised.

SourceMagnitudeDepthPosition difference
USGSM5.210.0 km0.0 km
GFZM5.410.0 km35.3 km
EMSCM5.432.0 km42.5 km

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#12
Earlier events M≥478
Earlier events M≥537
Compared since2025-01-02

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

Strongest earlier events

M7.02025-03-30 12:18:50 UTC147.8 km61 km SSE of Pangai, Tonga M7.02025-03-30 12:18:49 UTC131.6 kmHaʻapai M6.22025-03-30 15:04:54 UTC144.1 km72 km SSE of Pangai, Tonga M5.82026-01-31 20:59:31 UTC80.1 km###.# km ( ###.# mi) SW (az= 231.3) from San Miguel Is., CA M5.52026-09-29 12:40:33 UTC138.2 kmTonga Islands

Stats (last 24h)

Global (24h)
613
Country (24h)
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