LIGHT EARTHQUAKE
131 km W of Pangai, Tonga
A magnitude 4.6 earthquake struck 131 km W of Pangai, Tonga on 21 Aug 2026, 16:45 UTC. The hypocentre was 272.9 km below the surface — intermediate by seismological convention. 11 other earthquakes above our reporting threshold have been recorded within 250 km in the past 30 days.
- Depth
- 272.9 km
- Latitude
- 19.62°S
- Time
- 16:45 UTC
- Magnitude
- M4.6
intermediate
175.60°W longitude
21 Aug 2026
mb
EPICENTRE
MAGNITUDE 4.6
Noticeable shaking of indoor objects. Damage is unlikely.
The scale is logarithmic: this released about 250 times the energy of a magnitude 3.0, roughly the energy of 120 tonnes of TNT.
272.9 KM DEEP
At this depth the energy spreads before it reaches the surface. Shaking is usually weaker than a shallow earthquake of the same size, but it can be felt across a wider area.
NEARBY IN THE PAST 30 DAYS
11 earthquakes above our reporting threshold within 250 km of this one, the largest a magnitude 5.3.
OTHER RECENT EARTHQUAKES
18 Sept 2026, 02:12 UTC · 36.3 km deep
18 Sept 2026, 01:29 UTC · 106 km deep
18 Sept 2026, 01:07 UTC · 53.9 km deep
17 Sept 2026, 22:11 UTC · 82.7 km deep