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M5.3 Earthquake near 265 km S of ‘Ohonua, Tonga

UTC time: 2026-08-02 10:34:14 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

M5.3

Depth: 10.0 km
Source: USGS

265 km S of ‘Ohonua, Tonga

Map

About this earthquake

A magnitude M5.3 earthquake was recorded near 265 km S of ‘Ohonua, Tonga on August 2, 2026 at 10:34 UTC. The hypocenter lay relatively close to the surface at around 10 km, increasing how strongly it was felt. Earthquakes of this magnitude can damage poorly built structures.

The event was recorded by USGS.

Details

a38adca10cc29983fec6c61b91460b3a67f159c6

Magnitude

M5.3

Depth

10.0 km

UTC time

2026-08-02 10:34:14 UTC

Local time

—

Country

—

Source

usgs

Coordinates

-23.73880, -174.94390

Temperature

21.1°C

Depth profile

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 Pacific Plate.

Near the boundary Tonga ↔ Pacific · about 3 km away

Nearby population centers

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

PlaceDistanceDirectionPopulation

Nuku'alofa290.5 kmN22'400

GeoNames · CC BY 4.0

Volcanoes nearby

Kermadec Arc at 24.8°S

Distance: 241 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: -385 m ·Tonga
Tofua Arc at 21.3°S

Distance: 277 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: -68 m ·Last eruption: 1932 ·Tonga
Tofua Arc at 21.1°S

Distance: 300 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: -65 m ·Tonga
Tofua Arc at 20.9°S

Distance: 327 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: -296 m ·Last eruption: 2017 ·Tonga
Monowai

Distance: 329 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: -132 m ·Last eruption: 2014 ·New Zealand
Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai

Distance: 357 km ·Caldera ·Elevation: 114 m ·Last eruption: 2022 ·Tonga

Subsequent earthquakes nearby

Events recorded after this earthquake within 150 km. They are not automatically classified as aftershocks.

First 6 hours1

First 24 hours1

First 72 hours2

Strongest subsequent eventM5.1

M5.02026-08-02 15:35:30 UTC146.4 kmSOUTH OF TONGA M5.12026-08-04 14:56:14 UTC100.7 kmsouth of Tonga M5.12026-08-21 08:12:34 UTC114.4 kmsouth of Tonga

Comparison of seismic sources

4 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

RESIFM5.410.0 km36.1 km

EMSCM5.235.0 km100.5 km

USGSM5.310.0 km0.0 km

GFZM5.4104.0 km72.3 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#19

Earlier events M≥488

Earlier events M≥558

Compared since2025-02-07

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

Strongest earlier events

M6.12026-05-12 21:19:33 UTC129.5 kmTonga [Sea] M6.02025-08-23 00:11:01 UTC71.4 kmSouth of Tonga Islands [Sea: Tonga] M6.02025-05-25 10:49:53 UTC110.1 kmTonga Islands Region M6.02025-05-25 10:49:53 UTC132.5 kmTONGA REGION M6.02025-02-07 10:26:59 UTC123.6 kmsouth of the Fiji Islands

Stats (last 24h)

Global (24h)

629

Country (24h)

—

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