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4.8MAG

LIGHT EARTHQUAKE

26 km NW of Houma, Tonga

USGS

A magnitude 4.8 earthquake struck 26 km NW of Houma, Tonga on 22 Sept 2026, 20:11 UTC. The hypocentre was 121.9 km below the surface — intermediate by seismological convention. 6 other earthquakes above our reporting threshold have been recorded within 250 km in the past 30 days.

Depth
121.9 km

intermediate

Latitude
20.98°S

175.46°W longitude

Time
20:11 UTC

22 Sept 2026

Magnitude
M4.8

mb

EPICENTRE

View the official report

MAGNITUDE 4.8

Noticeable shaking of indoor objects. Damage is unlikely.

The scale is logarithmic: this released about 500 times the energy of a magnitude 3.0, roughly the energy of 239 tonnes of TNT.

121.9 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

6 earthquakes above our reporting threshold within 250 km of this one, the largest a magnitude 4.9.

OTHER RECENT EARTHQUAKES

M4.8 earthquake — Houma, Tonga · Quakewire