Back to map

M6.0 Earthquake near Tonga Islands

UTC time: 2026-03-08 09:28:26 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
M6.0
Depth
133.0 km
Source
GFZ

Tonga Islands

Map

M6.0 Earthquake near Tonga Islands · 2026-03-08 — Map showing the location of the epicenter
M6.0 Earthquake near Tonga Islands · 2026-03-08 — Map showing the location of the epicenter

About this earthquake

On March 8, 2026 at 09:28 UTC, a magnitude M6.0 earthquake occurred near Tonga Islands. At around 133 km, the focal depth places this among intermediate-depth events. Events of this size are considered strong and can be dangerous in inhabited regions.

The data is provided by GFZ and cross-checked across seismological networks.

Details

ID
e995a09a1f36235aab236d4b90deded8bcf2c2ff
Magnitude
M6.0
Depth
133.0 km
UTC time
2026-03-08 09:28:26 UTC
Local time
—
Country
—
Source
gfz
Coordinates
-16.10000, -173.86000
Temperature
28.3°C

Depth profile

Depth profile Depth: 133 km (Intermediate) Surface Shallow Intermediate Deep 0 km 70 km 300 km 700 km 133 km
Intermediate
133 km
Why depth matters

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

Depth classes per USGS

Nearby population centers

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

PlaceDistanceDirectionPopulation
Apia337.8 kmNE40'407

GeoNames · CC BY 4.0

Volcanoes nearby

  • Tafahi
    Distance: 30 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: 546 m ·Tonga
  • Curacoa
    Distance: 57 km ·Complex ·Elevation: -33 m ·Last eruption: 1979 ·Tonga
  • Niuatahi
    Distance: 83 km ·Caldera ·Elevation: -1'270 m ·Tonga
  • Tafu-Maka
    Distance: 90 km ·Fissure vent ·Elevation: -1'400 m ·Last eruption: 2008 ·Tonga
  • West Mata
    Distance: 112 km ·Fissure vent(s) ·Elevation: -1'174 m ·Last eruption: 2009 ·Tonga
  • Niuafo'ou
    Distance: 197 km ·Shield ·Elevation: 260 m ·Last eruption: 1946 ·Tonga

Radius · 100 km

Nearby infrastructure

Up to 3 nearest sites per category

Airports

  • Kuini Lavenia AirportTonga · NTT · NFTP
    15.5 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

Subsequent earthquakes nearby

Events recorded after this earthquake within 250 km. They are not automatically classified as aftershocks.

First 6 hours1
First 24 hours1
First 72 hours1
Strongest subsequent eventM6.3
M5.62026-03-08 09:28:28 UTC25.2 kmEvent of magnitude 5.6, near of Nouméa (Monde) M5.12026-03-11 15:10:48 UTC102.4 kmSamoa Islands Region M4.32026-03-20 16:17:50 UTC120.7 kmTonga Islands M6.22026-03-22 06:15:36 UTC118.1 km###.# km ( ###.# mi) SW (az= 234.7) from San Miguel Is., CA M5.42026-03-22 06:15:38 UTC155.5 kmEvent of magnitude 5.4, near of Nouméa (Monde) M5.62026-03-22 06:15:39 UTC93.4 kmTonga Islands M6.32026-03-22 06:15:47 UTC126.7 kmTonga [Sea] M6.22026-03-22 15:27:56 UTC177.8 km###.# km ( ###.# mi) SW (az= 234.4) from San Miguel Is., CA M6.12026-03-22 15:27:57 UTC113.4 kmTonga Islands M5.32026-03-22 15:27:58 UTC165.3 kmEvent of magnitude 5.3, near of Nouméa (Monde) M6.32026-03-22 15:28:08 UTC120.1 kmTonga [Sea] M6.32026-03-22 15:30:40 UTC110.5 kmTonga Islands

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 250 km.

Magnitude rank#3
Earlier events M≥4153
Earlier events M≥563
Compared since2025-01-03

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

Strongest earlier events

M6.62025-07-24 23:37:57 UTC245.3 km176 km SSE of Mata-Utu, Wallis and Futuna M6.62025-07-24 23:37:56 UTC245.3 km176 km SSE of Mata-Utu, Wallis and Futuna M5.92025-11-28 03:29:38 UTC160.1 kmSamoa Islands Region M5.82025-11-14 19:09:07 UTC227.5 kmTonga [Sea] M5.72026-02-10 21:14:44 UTC127.2 kmSamoa Islands Region

Stats (last 24h)

Global (24h)
605
Country (24h)
—
—
Current earthquakes in
Magnitude Place Local time
No recent events available.

Share