Reviewed by USGSTonga5mo ago
M4.8 earthquake 118 km NW of Neiafu, Tonga
Wednesday, April 29, 2026, 02:31:14 UTC · 18.033°S, 174.898°W
A magnitude 4.8 earthquake struck 118 km NW of Neiafu, Tonga on Wednesday, April 29, 2026, 02:31:14 UTC, at a depth of 190.0 km (intermediate). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M5.2 on April 28, 2026.
- Magnitude
- 4.8
- Light · mb
- Depth
- 190 km
- Intermediate
- 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: 50 km aftershock search area
In context
How big was it, and why here?
Energy released
239 tons of TNT
That is about 1/63 of the Hiroshima bomb. A magnitude 5.0 releases about 2 times more energy.
Tectonic setting
23 km
from the nearest mapped plate boundary, between the Tonga and Niuafo'ou plates. Earthquakes cluster along boundaries like this one, where plates collide, pull apart or slide past each other.
Depth: intermediate
190 km
Intermediate-depth earthquakes usually break inside a plate that is sinking into the mantle. Shaking spreads over a wide area but is gentler at the epicenter than a shallow quake of the same size.
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 50 km
USGS lists 1 M2.5+ earthquake within 50 km in the following 30 days; the largest was M4.2 on May 19, 2026. Most nearby activity right after a large earthquake is aftershocks, which usually become less frequent over days and weeks.
Regional history
Past M5+ earthquakes within 300 km
USGS lists 2,075 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 8.11919 Tonga EarthquakeApril 30, 1919 · 261 km E of this epicenter
- 8.0TongaJanuary 4, 1903 · 219 km S of this epicenter
- 8.02006 Tonga EarthquakeMay 3, 2006 · 253 km S of this epicenter
- 7.8159 km W of Pangai, TongaDecember 14, 1950 · 212 km SW of this epicenter
- 7.682 km WNW of Hihifo, TongaMay 10, 2023 · 271 km N of this epicenter
- 7.5158 km W of Neiafu, TongaMarch 24, 2026 · 83 km SW of this epicenter
- 7.4103 km ESE of Neiafu, TongaFebruary 27, 1921 · 219 km SE of this epicenter
- 7.385 km ESE of Neiafu, TongaJanuary 2, 1907 · 204 km SE of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 13 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700. The most severe:
- 1919M8.1
Tonga Islands
30 Apr 1919 · 254 km away
Limited damage (under $1M)tsunami
- 1865M8.0
Tonga Islands
18 Nov 1865 · 220 km away
Limited damage (under $1M)tsunami
- 2006M7.9
Tonga Islands
3 May 2006 · 253 km away · intensity VII
Limited damage (under $1M)tsunami
- 1903M8.0
Tonga Islands
4 Jan 1903 · 219 km away
- 1902M7.8
Tonga Islands
9 Feb 1902 · 238 km away
- 1950M7.7
Tonga Islands
14 Dec 1950 · 200 km away · intensity VI
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.