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M5.0 Earthquake near 71 km E of ‘Ohonua, Tonga

UTC time: 2026-10-05 05:26:45 UTC Local time: —
Earthquake newsQuakeMap24
First published: Content updated:

Automatically generated from measurement data by QuakeMap24. Values may change after further analysis.

Magnitude
M5.0
Depth
10.0 km
Source
USGS

71 km E of ‘Ohonua, Tonga

Map

M5.0 Earthquake near 71 km E of ‘Ohonua, Tonga · 2026-10-05 — Map showing the location of the epicenter
M5.0 Earthquake near 71 km E of ‘Ohonua, Tonga · 2026-10-05 — Map showing the location of the epicenter

About this earthquake

On October 5, 2026 at 05:26 UTC, a magnitude M5.0 earthquake occurred near 71 km E 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
a600e8b8cd23bed11162893a9412e5b9bbfcff78
Magnitude
M5.0
Depth
10.0 km
UTC time
2026-10-05 05:26:45 UTC
Local time
—
Country
—
Source
usgs
Coordinates
-21.42080, -174.26790
Temperature
22.3°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 48 km away

Nearby population centers

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

PlaceDistanceDirectionPopulation
Nuku'alofa101.7 kmW22'400

GeoNames · CC BY 4.0

Volcanoes nearby

  • Tofua Arc at 21.3°S
    Distance: 143 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: -68 m ·Last eruption: 1932 ·Tonga
  • Tofua Arc at 20.9°S
    Distance: 147 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: -296 m ·Last eruption: 2017 ·Tonga
  • Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai
    Distance: 151 km ·Caldera ·Elevation: 114 m ·Last eruption: 2022 ·Tonga
  • Tofua Arc at 21.1°S
    Distance: 156 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: -65 m ·Tonga
  • Fonuafo'ou
    Distance: 171 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: -17 m ·Last eruption: 1936 ·Tonga
  • Tofua
    Distance: 204 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
    71.6 kmStraight-line distance
  • Fua'amotu International AirportTonga · TBU · NFTF
    93.4 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 M5.0 to M5.2.

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

SourceMagnitudeDepthPosition difference
EMSCM5.010.0 km0.0 km
USGSM5.010.0 km0.0 km
GFZM5.210.0 km20.0 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#36
Earlier events M≥480
Earlier events M≥542
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 UTC125.1 km61 km SSE of Pangai, Tonga M7.02025-03-30 12:18:49 UTC127.1 km73 km SE of Pangai, Tonga M7.02025-03-30 12:18:49 UTC132.3 kmHaʻapai M6.22025-03-30 15:04:54 UTC118.6 km72 km SSE of Pangai, Tonga M5.92025-03-30 15:33:49 UTC134.4 km53 km SSE of Pangai, Tonga

Stats (last 24h)

Global (24h)
603
Country (24h)
—
—
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