M5.3 earthquake near Nuku‘alofa, Tongatapu
3593 d ago · 14 Dec 2016, 21:26 UTC 79 km SE of ‘Ohonua, Tonga
What happened
A magnitude 5.3 earthquake struck 79 km SE of ‘Ohonua, Tonga on 14 Dec 2016, 21:26 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 113 km away in Tongatapu, Tonga.
Timeline
First reported by USGS
16 Oct 2026, 20:47 UTC
Community
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