M5.3 earthquake - 256 km SSW of ‘Ohonua, Tonga

What happened

A magnitude 5.3 earthquake struck 256 km SSW of ‘Ohonua, Tonga on 21 Jul 2016, 15:18 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 273 km away in Tongatapu, Tonga.