MODERATE EARTHQUAKE
26 km NW of Neiafu, Tonga
A magnitude 5.3 earthquake struck 26 km NW of Neiafu, Tonga on 08 Sept 2026, 11:51 UTC. The hypocentre was 10 km below the surface — shallow by seismological convention. No felt reports have been received so far. 10 other earthquakes above our reporting threshold have been recorded within 250 km in the past 30 days.
- Depth
- 10 km
- Latitude
- 18.47°S
- Time
- 11:51 UTC
- Magnitude
- M5.3
shallow
174.16°W longitude
08 Sept 2026
mb
EPICENTRE
MAGNITUDE 5.3
Can damage poorly constructed buildings; well-built structures usually escape with little harm.
The scale is logarithmic: this released about 89 times the energy of a magnitude 4.0, roughly the energy of 1 thousand tonnes of TNT.
10 KM DEEP
Shallow earthquakes release their energy close to the surface, so they are felt more strongly, and do more damage, than deeper earthquakes of the same magnitude.
NEARBY IN THE PAST 30 DAYS
10 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