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Tonga · Tongatapu

M5.1 Earthquake near Tongatapu (Tonga)

UTC time: 2026-09-29 12:40:59 UTC Local time: —
Earthquake newsQuakeMap24
First published: Content updated:

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

Map

M5.1 Earthquake near Tongatapu (Tonga) · 2026-09-29 — Map showing the location of the epicenter
M5.1 Earthquake near Tongatapu (Tonga) · 2026-09-29 — Map showing the location of the epicenter

About this earthquake

A magnitude M5.1 earthquake was recorded near Tongatapu (Tonga) on September 29, 2026 at 12:40 UTC. The earthquake originated at an intermediate depth of about 147 km. Earthquakes of this magnitude can damage poorly built structures.

The event was recorded by RESIF.

Details

ID
ba513acab637bde2b9608492d530e6ff2598d93f
Magnitude
M5.1
Depth
147.4 km
UTC time
2026-09-29 12:40:59 UTC
Local time
—
Country
Tonga
State
Tongatapu
City
Tongatapu
Source
resif
Coordinates
-21.15615, -175.42143
Temperature
22.2°C

Depth profile

Depth profile Depth: 147.4 km (Intermediate) Surface Shallow Intermediate Deep 0 km 70 km 300 km 700 km 147.4 km
Intermediate
147.4 km
147.4 km — deeper than the regional average (98.4 km)
Regional average: 98.4 km
Why depth matters

Intermediate-depth quakes are felt across a wider area but usually cause less surface damage.

Depth classes per USGS

Tectonic context

Located on the Tonga Plate.
Near the boundary Tonga ↔ Australia · about 92 km away

Nearby population centers

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

PlaceDistanceDirectionPopulation
Nuku'alofa22.9 kmE22'400

GeoNames · CC BY 4.0

Volcanoes nearby

  • Tofua Arc at 21.3°S
    Distance: 31 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: -68 m ·Last eruption: 1932 ·Tonga
  • Tofua Arc at 21.1°S
    Distance: 34 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: -65 m ·Tonga
  • Tofua Arc at 20.9°S
    Distance: 36 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: -296 m ·Last eruption: 2017 ·Tonga
  • Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai
    Distance: 67 km ·Caldera ·Elevation: 114 m ·Last eruption: 2022 ·Tonga
  • Fonuafo'ou
    Distance: 93 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: -17 m ·Last eruption: 1936 ·Tonga
  • Tofua
    Distance: 161 km ·Caldera ·Elevation: 515 m ·Last eruption: 2026 ·Tonga

Radius · 100 km

Nearby infrastructure

Up to 3 nearest sites per category

Airports

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

Source: OurAirports · Dataset date: 2026-10-04

This selection shows geographic proximity, not a hazard zone or confirmed impacts. Distances use recorded site coordinates. Sources & data dates

Tonga

Context for this earthquake

04 Oct 2025 – 04 Oct 2026 · M ≥ 3.0 · 12 Catalogue entries

Sufficiently reliable matching data are not currently available for a direct comparison. The area profile shows the available records and their limitations.

Open seismic profile

Historical context nearby

Comparison with recorded earthquakes before this event within 150 km.

Magnitude rank#19
Earlier events M≥468
Earlier events M≥528
Compared since2025-01-07

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

Strongest earlier events

M7.02025-03-30 12:18:49 UTC115.9 kmHaʻapai M5.82026-01-31 20:59:31 UTC134.5 km###.# km ( ###.# mi) SW (az= 231.3) from San Miguel Is., CA M5.72025-06-28 04:17:07 UTC148.6 kmTonga Islands M5.52026-07-06 08:07:22 UTC111.6 kmTonga Islands M5.52025-07-06 20:31:44 UTC112.4 kmTonga Islands

Historic earthquake map · Tonga

Open history map
Explore recent and long-term earthquake activity in this country. Use filters to narrow down by magnitude, depth, and date range.

Country statistics · Tonga

Country overview
View earthquake KPIs, strongest and latest events, and averages for this country.

Stats (last 24h)

Global (24h)
458
Country (24h)
Tonga
0
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No recent events available.

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