Skip to content
The Earth Record
Menu
← Back to the daily edition

Earthquakes / EVENT RECORD

M 5.2 - 107 km NNE of Hihifo, Tonga

USGS · Every measurement below belongs to the selected record.

Read the source-series history ↗
Captured 2026-10-16 23:47:43 UTC

Around the epicentre

Regional view · markers are locations, not affected areas

Regional map loads when JavaScript is enabled
● This earthquake ● Nearby recorded activityRegional map

Magnitude

M 5.2

Scale: mb

Depth

10 km

operator assigned

Reported by people

1

Number of felt reports

USGS review

reviewed

Review does not imply final measurements

What the record tells us

USGS reports a magnitude 5.2 earthquake in 107 km NNE of Hihifo, Tonga, at a depth of 10 km.

Detailed source data captured 2026-10-16 23:47:43 UTC.

Measurements & confidence

Event time (UTC)
2026-10-15 13:29:31.862 UTC
Source updated (UTC)
2026-10-15 15:08:32.052 UTC
Location
-15.043°, -173.444°
Stations used for location
49
Horizontal error
12.96 km
Depth error
1.812 km
Magnitude error
0.036

Errors are the source’s reported uncertainty estimates, not guaranteed bounds. A depth marked “operator assigned” was fixed during analysis.

Shaking & impact

Instrumental intensity
Not published
Felt-report intensity
2 CDI
PAGER impact alert
Not published

No published assessment does not mean no shaking or no impact. A magnitude value alone cannot establish damage or a tsunami warning.

Shaking map · not in this captured record
PAGER impact assessment · not in this captured record
Did You Feel It? reports · available at USGS ↗
Fault-motion solution · not in this captured record

Nearby seismic activity

Within 500 km · M2.5+ · seven days before the event through the latest query, up to seven days after

6 nearby records

Query window: 2026-10-08 13:29:31 to 2026-10-16 23:47:43 UTC. This is spatial proximity, not an identified aftershock sequence.

M4.6153 km W of Neiafu, Tonga2026-10-16 15:06:34 UTC
436 km away · 247.722 km deep ↗
M5.136 km E of Safotu, Samoa2026-10-15 03:36:29 UTC
234 km away · 13.211 km deep ↗
M4.830 km E of Safotu, Samoa2026-10-15 03:36:08 UTC
229 km away · 13.468 km deep ↗
M5.5122 km W of Neiafu, Tonga2026-10-12 04:38:12 UTC
447 km away · 195.212 km deep ↗
M4.7156 km ESE of Neiafu, Tonga2026-10-11 18:06:35 UTC
489 km away · 10 km deep ↗
M4.561 km N of Hihifo, Tonga2026-10-10 08:38:50 UTC
54 km away · 79.424 km deep ↗
View the USGS catalogue query ↗

The record as it develops

This timeline begins when our journal started capturing details. It is not a complete USGS revision history.

  1. Captured 2026-10-15 13:58:52 UTC

    First detailed capture · M5.2 · 10 km deep · 5 nearby records

    Source updated 2026-10-15 13:52:47 UTC

  2. Captured 2026-10-15 14:58:52 UTC

    Updated capture · M5.2 · 10 km deep · 5 nearby records

    Source updated 2026-10-15 13:52:47 UTC

  3. Captured 2026-10-15 15:13:55 UTC

    Updated capture · M5.2 · 10 km deep · 5 nearby records

    Source updated 2026-10-15 15:08:32 UTC

  4. Captured 2026-10-15 16:32:46 UTC

    Updated capture · M5.2 · 10 km deep · 5 nearby records

    Source updated 2026-10-15 15:08:32 UTC

  5. Captured 2026-10-15 17:47:40 UTC

    Updated capture · M5.2 · 10 km deep · 5 nearby records

    Source updated 2026-10-15 15:08:32 UTC

  6. Captured 2026-10-15 18:47:41 UTC

    Updated capture · M5.2 · 10 km deep · 5 nearby records

    Source updated 2026-10-15 15:08:32 UTC

  7. Captured 2026-10-15 19:47:43 UTC

    Updated capture · M5.2 · 10 km deep · 5 nearby records

    Source updated 2026-10-15 15:08:32 UTC

  8. Captured 2026-10-15 21:02:41 UTC

    Updated capture · M5.2 · 10 km deep · 5 nearby records

    Source updated 2026-10-15 15:08:32 UTC

  9. Captured 2026-10-15 22:17:41 UTC

    Updated capture · M5.2 · 10 km deep · 5 nearby records

    Source updated 2026-10-15 15:08:32 UTC

  10. Captured 2026-10-15 23:32:42 UTC

    Updated capture · M5.2 · 10 km deep · 5 nearby records

    Source updated 2026-10-15 15:08:32 UTC

  11. Captured 2026-10-16 00:47:40 UTC

    Updated capture · M5.2 · 10 km deep · 5 nearby records

    Source updated 2026-10-15 15:08:32 UTC

  12. Captured 2026-10-16 01:47:41 UTC

    Updated capture · M5.2 · 10 km deep · 5 nearby records

    Source updated 2026-10-15 15:08:32 UTC

  13. Captured 2026-10-16 03:02:48 UTC

    Updated capture · M5.2 · 10 km deep · 5 nearby records

    Source updated 2026-10-15 15:08:32 UTC

  14. Captured 2026-10-16 04:17:43 UTC

    Updated capture · M5.2 · 10 km deep · 5 nearby records

    Source updated 2026-10-15 15:08:32 UTC

  15. Captured 2026-10-16 05:32:41 UTC

    Updated capture · M5.2 · 10 km deep · 5 nearby records

    Source updated 2026-10-15 15:08:32 UTC

  16. Captured 2026-10-16 06:32:43 UTC

    Updated capture · M5.2 · 10 km deep · 5 nearby records

    Source updated 2026-10-15 15:08:32 UTC

  17. Captured 2026-10-16 07:47:42 UTC

    Updated capture · M5.2 · 10 km deep · 5 nearby records

    Source updated 2026-10-15 15:08:32 UTC

  18. Captured 2026-10-16 09:02:49 UTC

    Updated capture · M5.2 · 10 km deep · 5 nearby records

    Source updated 2026-10-15 15:08:32 UTC

  19. Captured 2026-10-16 10:17:41 UTC

    Updated capture · M5.2 · 10 km deep · 5 nearby records

    Source updated 2026-10-15 15:08:32 UTC

  20. Captured 2026-10-16 11:32:41 UTC

    Updated capture · M5.2 · 10 km deep · 5 nearby records

    Source updated 2026-10-15 15:08:32 UTC

  21. Captured 2026-10-16 12:32:45 UTC

    Updated capture · M5.2 · 10 km deep · 5 nearby records

    Source updated 2026-10-15 15:08:32 UTC

  22. Captured 2026-10-16 13:47:41 UTC

    Updated capture · M5.2 · 10 km deep · 5 nearby records

    Source updated 2026-10-15 15:08:32 UTC

  23. Captured 2026-10-16 14:47:42 UTC

    Updated capture · M5.2 · 10 km deep · 5 nearby records

    Source updated 2026-10-15 15:08:32 UTC

  24. Captured 2026-10-16 15:47:42 UTC

    Updated capture · M5.2 · 10 km deep · 6 nearby records

    Source updated 2026-10-15 15:08:32 UTC

  25. Captured 2026-10-16 17:02:43 UTC

    Updated capture · M5.2 · 10 km deep · 6 nearby records

    Source updated 2026-10-15 15:08:32 UTC

  26. Captured 2026-10-16 18:02:43 UTC

    Updated capture · M5.2 · 10 km deep · 6 nearby records

    Source updated 2026-10-15 15:08:32 UTC

  27. Captured 2026-10-16 19:02:44 UTC

    Updated capture · M5.2 · 10 km deep · 6 nearby records

    Source updated 2026-10-15 15:08:32 UTC

  28. Captured 2026-10-16 20:17:42 UTC

    Updated capture · M5.2 · 10 km deep · 6 nearby records

    Source updated 2026-10-15 15:08:32 UTC

  29. Captured 2026-10-16 21:32:42 UTC

    Updated capture · M5.2 · 10 km deep · 6 nearby records

    Source updated 2026-10-15 15:08:32 UTC

  30. Captured 2026-10-16 22:32:45 UTC

    Updated capture · M5.2 · 10 km deep · 6 nearby records

    Source updated 2026-10-15 15:08:32 UTC

  31. Captured 2026-10-16 23:47:43 UTC

    Updated capture · M5.2 · 10 km deep · 6 nearby records

    Source updated 2026-10-15 15:08:32 UTC

Magnitude is not shaking

Magnitude describes the earthquake’s size. The shaking experienced at a place depends on distance, depth, local ground conditions and the rupture.

Depth needs context

A reported depth describes the location of the earthquake underground. Some solutions use an assigned depth; uncertainty and review status matter.

Nearby does not mean aftershock

Our regional search finds events by distance and time. Establishing an aftershock sequence requires seismological assessment.

Read the original USGS record ↗

This is a source-linked archive. Source measurements and assessments can change. An archived bulletin is not evidence that a warning is currently active.

In the daily journal

15 October 2026 ↗

SOURCE ID usgs:us6000u2hv