M5.1 earthquake near Nuku‘alofa, Tongatapu
3286 d ago · 17 Oct 2017, 09:53 UTC 71 km NNW of Nuku‘alofa, Tonga
What happened
A magnitude 5.1 earthquake struck 71 km NNW of Nuku‘alofa, Tonga on 17 Oct 2017, 09:53 UTC at a depth of 132 km.
Earthquakes of this size are classed as Moderate. Can damage poorly built structures close to the epicentre. This was an intermediate-depth earthquake, so shaking is spread over a wider, gentler area.
The nearest town in our records is Nuku‘alofa, about 72 km away in Tongatapu, Tonga.
Timeline
First reported by USGS
16 Oct 2026, 20:47 UTC
Community
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