MODERATE EARTHQUAKE
122 km W of Neiafu, Tonga
A magnitude 5.5 earthquake struck 122 km W of Neiafu, Tonga on 12 Oct 2026, 04:38 UTC. The hypocentre was 195.2 km below the surface — intermediate by seismological convention. No felt reports have been received so far. The figures have been revised 3 times since the first report. 3 other earthquakes above our reporting threshold have been recorded within 250 km in the past 30 days.
- Depth
- 195.2 km
- Latitude
- 18.72°S
- Time
- 04:38 UTC
- Magnitude
- M5.5
intermediate
175.15°W longitude
12 Oct 2026
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EPICENTRE
MAGNITUDE 5.5
Can damage poorly constructed buildings; well-built structures usually escape with little harm.
The scale is logarithmic: this released about 180 times the energy of a magnitude 4.0, roughly the energy of 3 thousand tonnes of TNT.
195.2 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
3 earthquakes above our reporting threshold within 250 km of this one, the largest a magnitude 5.4.
OTHER RECENT EARTHQUAKES
19 Oct 2026, 08:51 UTC · 124.8 km deep
19 Oct 2026, 08:21 UTC · 10 km deep
19 Oct 2026, 08:12 UTC · 10 km deep
19 Oct 2026, 07:55 UTC · 10 km deep