Reviewed by USGSTonga22y ago
M5.3 earthquake 275 km WNW of Haveluloto, Tonga
Friday, December 10, 2004, 02:33:50 UTC · 20.286°S, 177.692°W
A magnitude 5.3 earthquake struck 275 km WNW of Haveluloto, Tonga on Friday, December 10, 2004, 02:33:50 UTC, at a depth of 491.9 km (deep). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M6.1 on December 6, 2004.
- Magnitude
- 5.3
- Moderate · mwc
- Depth
- 492 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
1 kilotons of TNT
That is about 1/11 of the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 3 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
159 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
492 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 11 M2.5+ earthquakes within 75 km in the following 30 days; the largest was M4.8 on January 5, 2005. Most nearby activity right after a large earthquake is aftershocks, which usually become less frequent over days and weeks.
- 4.8278 km WNW of Haveluloto, Tonga22y ago · 15 km N of this epicenter
- 4.0Fiji region22y ago · 72 km W of this epicenter
- 4.4297 km WNW of Haveluloto, Tonga22y ago · 22 km W of this epicenter
- 4.1Fiji region22y ago · 42 km W of this epicenter
- 4.1287 km WNW of Haveluloto, Tonga22y ago · 24 km N of this epicenter
- 4.2293 km W of Haveluloto, Tonga22y ago · 73 km SW of this epicenter
- 4.2Fiji region22y ago · 72 km W of this epicenter
- 4.3262 km WNW of Haveluloto, Tonga22y ago · 48 km NE of this epicenter
Regional history
Past M5+ earthquakes within 300 km
USGS lists 1,396 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 8.0TongaJanuary 4, 1903 · 283 km E of this epicenter
- 7.8159 km W of Pangai, TongaDecember 14, 1950 · 201 km E of this epicenter
- 7.8Fiji regionJanuary 1, 1919 · 115 km N of this epicenter
- 7.8192 km WSW of Haveluloto, TongaOctober 14, 1997 · 223 km SE of this epicenter
- 7.7Fiji regionAugust 19, 2002 · 246 km SW of this epicenter
- 7.6178 km E of Levuka, FijiFebruary 22, 1909 · 270 km NW of this epicenter
- 7.6240 km E of Levuka, FijiMarch 9, 1994 · 261 km N of this epicenter
- 7.5262 km WNW of Haveluloto, TongaMay 21, 1962 · 33 km NE of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 11 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700. The most severe:
- 1937M8.1
Fiji Islands
16 Apr 1937 · 153 km away
- 1903M8.0
Tonga Islands
4 Jan 1903 · 283 km away
- 1909M7.8
Fiji Islands
22 Feb 1909 · 289 km away
- 1919M7.8
Fiji Islands
1 Jan 1919 · 115 km away
tsunami
- 1950M7.7
Tonga Islands
14 Dec 1950 · 197 km away · intensity VI
- 1997M7.7
Tonga Islands
14 Oct 1997 · 223 km away
tsunami
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.