Reviewed by USGSTonga7y ago
M5.0 earthquake 275 km W of Haveluloto, Tonga
Wednesday, April 24, 2019, 23:18:07 UTC · 20.743°S, 177.827°W
A magnitude 5.0 earthquake struck 275 km W of Haveluloto, Tonga on Wednesday, April 24, 2019, 23:18:07 UTC, at a depth of 441.6 km (deep). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M5.0 on March 19, 2019.
- Magnitude
- 5.0
- Moderate · mb
- Depth
- 442 km
- Deep
- Felt reports
- 0
- Did You Feel It?
- Est. shaking
- —
- No ShakeMap
- PAGER alert
- None
- Not issued
- 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
477 tons of TNT
That is about 1/32 of the Hiroshima bomb. Each whole step in magnitude is about 32 times more energy.
Tectonic setting
162 km
from the nearest mapped plate boundary, between the Tonga and Australian plates. Earthquakes this far from a boundary happen on faults inside a plate, often less frequently but sometimes strongly.
Depth: deep
442 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 PAGER estimate is available for this event.
After the main event
Aftershocks within 75 km
USGS lists 9 M2.5+ earthquakes within 75 km in the following 30 days; the largest was M4.7 on May 8, 2019. Most nearby activity right after a large earthquake is aftershocks, which usually become less frequent over days and weeks.
- 4.4276 km WNW of Haveluloto, Tonga7y ago · 22 km N of this epicenter
- 4.2294 km WNW of Haveluloto, Tonga7y ago · 73 km N of this epicenter
- 4.1Fiji region7y ago · 52 km NW of this epicenter
- 4.3285 km WNW of Haveluloto, Tonga7y ago · 38 km N of this epicenter
- 4.7Fiji region7y ago · 73 km NW of this epicenter
- 4.3264 km WNW of Haveluloto, Tonga7y ago · 52 km NE of this epicenter
- 4.1274 km W of Haveluloto, Tonga7y ago · 1 km SE of this epicenter
- 4.4240 km WNW of Haveluloto, Tonga7y ago · 58 km NE of this epicenter
Regional history
Past M5+ earthquakes within 300 km
USGS lists 1,608 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 8.22018 Fiji EarthquakeAugust 19, 2018 · 294 km N of this epicenter
- 7.8159 km W of Pangai, TongaDecember 14, 1950 · 234 km NE of this epicenter
- 7.8Fiji regionJanuary 1, 1919 · 161 km N of this epicenter
- 7.8192 km WSW of Haveluloto, TongaOctober 14, 1997 · 186 km SE of this epicenter
- 7.7Fiji regionAugust 19, 2002 · 204 km SW of this epicenter
- 7.5262 km WNW of Haveluloto, TongaMay 21, 1962 · 82 km NE of this epicenter
- 7.4Fiji regionSeptember 28, 1957 · 59 km W of this epicenter
- 7.4Fiji regionAugust 5, 1996 · 51 km W of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 9 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700. The most severe:
- 2018M8.2
Fiji Islands
19 Aug 2018 · 294 km away · intensity V
tsunami
- 1937M8.1
Fiji Islands
16 Apr 1937 · 120 km away
- 1919M7.8
Fiji Islands
1 Jan 1919 · 161 km away
tsunami
- 1950M7.7
Tonga Islands
14 Dec 1950 · 236 km away · intensity VI
- 1997M7.7
Tonga Islands
14 Oct 1997 · 186 km away
tsunami
- 2002M7.7
Fiji Islands
19 Aug 2002 · 204 km away
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.