MODERATE EARTHQUAKE
155 km SSE of Hihifo, Tonga
A magnitude 5.3 earthquake struck 155 km SSE of Hihifo, Tonga on 17 Sept 2026, 04:06 UTC. The hypocentre was 10 km below the surface — shallow by seismological convention. No felt reports have been received so far.
- Depth
- 10 km
- Latitude
- 17.32°S
- Time
- 04:06 UTC
- Magnitude
- M5.3
shallow
173.45°W longitude
17 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.
OTHER RECENT EARTHQUAKES
17 Sept 2026, 06:48 UTC · 10 km deep
17 Sept 2026, 06:42 UTC · 10 km deep
17 Sept 2026, 06:32 UTC · 36.7 km deep
17 Sept 2026, 06:20 UTC · 24 km deep