M5.1 earthquake - 268 km SSW of ‘Ohonua, Tonga

What happened

A magnitude 5.1 earthquake struck 268 km SSW of ‘Ohonua, Tonga on 17 Aug 2023, 16:31 UTC at a depth of 20 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 286 km away in Tongatapu, Tonga.