Reviewed by USGSTonga25d ago
M5.0 earthquake 112 km WNW of Pangai, Tonga
Tuesday, September 1, 2026, 10:34:44 UTC · 19.502°S, 175.371°W
A magnitude 5.0 earthquake struck 112 km WNW of Pangai, Tonga on Tuesday, September 1, 2026, 10:34:44 UTC, at a depth of 159.3 km (intermediate). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M5.2 on August 3, 2026.
- Magnitude
- 5.0
- Moderate · mb
- Depth
- 159 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 earthquake
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
14 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
159 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 75 km
USGS has not published any M2.5+ earthquake within 75 km since this event.
Regional history
Past M5+ earthquakes within 300 km
USGS lists 2,198 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 8.0TongaJanuary 4, 1903 · 68 km SE of this epicenter
- 8.02006 Tonga EarthquakeMay 3, 2006 · 151 km SE of this epicenter
- 7.8159 km W of Pangai, TongaDecember 14, 1950 · 57 km SW of this epicenter
- 7.8Fiji regionJanuary 1, 1919 · 285 km W of this epicenter
- 7.8111 km SSE of Pangai, TongaJune 26, 1913 · 209 km SE of this epicenter
- 7.5158 km W of Neiafu, TongaMarch 24, 2026 · 108 km N of this epicenter
- 7.5110 km E of ‘Ohonua, TongaSeptember 8, 1948 · 246 km SE of this epicenter
- 7.5262 km WNW of Haveluloto, TongaMay 21, 1962 · 228 km W of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 15 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700. The most severe:
- 1865M8.0
Tonga Islands
18 Nov 1865 · 196 km away
Limited damage (under $1M)tsunami
- 2006M7.9
Tonga Islands
3 May 2006 · 151 km away · intensity VII
Limited damage (under $1M)tsunami
- 1937M8.1
Fiji Islands
16 Apr 1937 · 280 km away
- 1903M8.0
Tonga Islands
4 Jan 1903 · 68 km away
- 1948M7.9
Tonga Islands
8 Sep 1948 · 220 km away
tsunami
- 1902M7.8
Tonga Islands
9 Feb 1902 · 154 km away
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.