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M5.3 Earthquake near Tonga Islands

UTC time: 2026-01-19 06:42:05 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
76.0 km
Source
GFZ

Tonga Islands

Map

M5.3 Earthquake near Tonga Islands · 2026-01-19 — Map showing the location of the epicenter
M5.3 Earthquake near Tonga Islands · 2026-01-19 — Map showing the location of the epicenter

About this earthquake

A magnitude M5.3 earthquake was recorded near Tonga Islands on January 19, 2026 at 06:42 UTC. At around 76 km, the focal depth places this among intermediate-depth events. Events of this size can cause damage near the epicenter.

The event was recorded by GFZ.

Details

ID
ec39baa802291c58d3be45d79cd8ce22fe545af4
Magnitude
M5.3
Depth
76.0 km
UTC time
2026-01-19 06:42:05 UTC
Local time
—
Country
—
Source
gfz
Coordinates
-16.23000, -173.97000
Temperature
28.2°C

Depth profile

Depth profile Depth: 76 km (Intermediate) Surface Shallow Intermediate Deep 0 km 70 km 300 km 700 km 76 km
Intermediate
76 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
Apia356.4 kmNE40'407

GeoNames · CC BY 4.0

Volcanoes nearby

  • Tafahi
    Distance: 48 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: 546 m ·Tonga
  • Curacoa
    Distance: 75 km ·Complex ·Elevation: -33 m ·Last eruption: 1979 ·Tonga
  • Niuatahi
    Distance: 96 km ·Caldera ·Elevation: -1'270 m ·Tonga
  • Tafu-Maka
    Distance: 100 km ·Fissure vent ·Elevation: -1'400 m ·Last eruption: 2008 ·Tonga
  • West Mata
    Distance: 128 km ·Fissure vent(s) ·Elevation: -1'174 m ·Last eruption: 2009 ·Tonga
  • Niuafo'ou
    Distance: 191 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
    34.0 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 150 km. They are not automatically classified as aftershocks.

First 6 hours0
First 24 hours0
First 72 hours1
Strongest subsequent eventM5.7
M4.92026-01-20 08:18:22 UTC69.7 kmTonga Islands M4.12026-01-27 05:08:05 UTC136.4 kmTONGA M4.92026-01-27 05:08:06 UTC114.7 kmTonga Islands M5.32026-02-03 19:34:09 UTC107.1 kmTonga Islands M5.22026-02-09 18:52:58 UTC42.4 kmTonga Islands M5.72026-02-10 21:14:44 UTC144.0 kmSamoa Islands Region M5.02026-02-10 21:14:45 UTC144.2 kmEvent of magnitude 5.0, near of Nouméa (Monde) M5.12026-02-13 00:41:25 UTC117.7 kmTonga Islands M5.22026-02-15 20:54:47 UTC119.7 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 150 km.

Magnitude rank#14
Earlier events M≥493
Earlier events M≥536
Compared since2025-01-05

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

Strongest earlier events

M5.72025-11-28 03:30:09 UTC132.3 kmTonga Islands M5.62025-11-28 03:30:09 UTC134.6 km130 km WNW of Hihifo, Tonga M5.62025-11-28 03:30:08 UTC137.4 kmTONGA M5.62025-04-04 08:01:06 UTC90.7 km84 km WNW of Hihifo, Tonga M5.52025-08-18 07:48:45 UTC122.6 kmTONGA

Stats (last 24h)

Global (24h)
590
Country (24h)
—
—
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