LIGHT EARTHQUAKE
255 km W of Houma, Tonga
A magnitude 4.2 earthquake struck 255 km W of Houma, Tonga on 30 Aug 2026, 22:51 UTC. The hypocentre was 388.7 km below the surface — deep by seismological convention. 11 other earthquakes above our reporting threshold have been recorded within 250 km in the past 30 days.
- Depth
- 388.7 km
- Latitude
- 21.34°S
- Time
- 22:51 UTC
- Magnitude
- M4.2
deep
177.75°W longitude
30 Aug 2026
mb
EPICENTRE
MAGNITUDE 4.2
Noticeable shaking of indoor objects. Damage is unlikely.
The scale is logarithmic: this released about 63 times the energy of a magnitude 3.0, roughly the energy of 30 tonnes of TNT.
388.7 KM DEEP
Deep earthquakes rarely cause damage. The energy dissipates over hundreds of kilometres before reaching the surface, though it can still be felt far from the epicentre.
NEARBY IN THE PAST 30 DAYS
11 earthquakes above our reporting threshold within 250 km of this one, the largest a magnitude 4.9.
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