QuakeScout
Magnitude5.8

Reviewed by USGSTonga7y ago

M5.8 earthquake 295 km WNW of Haveluloto, Tonga

Sunday, January 27, 2019, 10:16:28 UTC · 20.102°S, 177.815°W

A magnitude 5.8 earthquake struck 295 km WNW of Haveluloto, Tonga on Sunday, January 27, 2019, 10:16:28 UTC, at a depth of 562.4 km (deep). The USGS PAGER alert is green: low likelihood of casualties and damage. It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M6.2 on January 26, 2019.

Magnitude
5.8
Moderate · mww
Depth
562 km
Deep
Felt reports
0
Did You Feel It?
Est. shaking
—
No ShakeMap
PAGER alert
Green
Impact estimate
Tsunami
No flag
USGS feed

Outlined circle: this earthquakeDashed circle: 75 km aftershock search area

In context

How big was it, and why here?

Energy released

8 kilotons of TNT

That is about 1/2 of the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 16 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.

Tectonic setting

164 km

from the nearest mapped plate boundary, between the Niuafo'ou and Australian plates. Earthquakes this far from a boundary happen on faults inside a plate, often less frequently but sometimes strongly.

Depth: deep

562 km

Deep earthquakes (over 300 km) happen deep inside subducting plates. They rarely cause damage, but can be felt faintly over very large distances.

Did You Feel It?

Where it was felt

No “Did You Feel It?” reports have been published for this event yet. If you felt it, you can add your report on the USGS website.

I felt it — report to USGS ↗

USGS PAGER estimate

Who was exposed to shaking

USGS publishes PAGER impact estimates for significant earthquakes, usually within an hour. No populated area was estimated to feel noticeable shaking.

After the main event

Aftershocks within 75 km

USGS lists 4 M2.5+ earthquakes within 75 km in the following 30 days; the largest was M4.8 on February 17, 2019. Most nearby activity right after a large earthquake is aftershocks, which usually become less frequent over days and weeks.

M3M4M5M61h6h1d3d7d14d30dMainshock M5.8
Time after the mainshock on a logarithmic scale (first hours stretched), magnitude on the vertical axis. M2.5+ events from USGS.
  1. 4.4294 km W of Haveluloto, Tonga7y ago · 73 km S of this epicenter
  2. 4.8283 km WNW of Haveluloto, Tonga7y ago · 25 km S of this epicenter
  3. 4.2Fiji region7y ago · 57 km W of this epicenter
  4. 4.4267 km WNW of Haveluloto, Tonga7y ago · 57 km NE of this epicenter

Regional history

Past M5+ earthquakes within 300 km

USGS lists 1,929 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:

  1. 8.22018 Fiji EarthquakeAugust 19, 2018 · 224 km N of this epicenter
  2. 8.0TongaJanuary 4, 1903 · 294 km E of this epicenter
  3. 7.8159 km W of Pangai, TongaDecember 14, 1950 · 208 km E of this epicenter
  4. 7.8Fiji regionJanuary 1, 1919 · 91 km N of this epicenter
  5. 7.8192 km WSW of Haveluloto, TongaOctober 14, 1997 · 247 km SE of this epicenter
  6. 7.7Fiji regionAugust 19, 2002 · 250 km SW of this epicenter
  7. 7.6178 km E of Levuka, FijiFebruary 22, 1909 · 246 km NW of this epicenter
  8. 7.6240 km E of Levuka, FijiMarch 9, 1994 · 238 km N of this epicenter

History · NOAA

Deadliest earthquakes in this area

NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 12 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700. The most severe:

  1. 2018M8.2

    Fiji Islands

    19 Aug 2018 · 224 km away · intensity V

    tsunami

  2. 1937M8.1

    Fiji Islands

    16 Apr 1937 · 177 km away

  3. 1903M8.0

    Tonga Islands

    4 Jan 1903 · 294 km away

  4. 1909M7.8

    Fiji Islands

    22 Feb 1909 · 265 km away

  5. 1919M7.8

    Fiji Islands

    1 Jan 1919 · 91 km away

    tsunami

  6. 1950M7.7

    Tonga Islands

    14 Dec 1950 · 201 km away · intensity VI

NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.

Nearby trackers

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