M5.3 earthquake - 273 km SSW of ‘Ohonua, Tonga

What happened

A magnitude 5.3 earthquake struck 273 km SSW of ‘Ohonua, Tonga on 4 Jul 2023, 00:18 UTC at a depth of 10 km.

Earthquakes of this size are classed as Moderate. Can damage poorly built structures close to the epicentre. This was a shallow earthquake, which tends to be felt more strongly at the surface.

The nearest town in our records is Nuku‘alofa, about 290 km away in Tongatapu, Tonga.