In the night of Monday June 17th, 2024, a significant MAG-5.1 earthquake hit in the South Pacific Ocean 263 kilometer from Nuku‘alofa, Tonga.
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Earthquake Summary
This earthquake hit under water in the South Pacific Ocean, 262 kilometers (162 mi) off the coast of Tonga, 263 kilometer west-northwest of Nuku‘alofa in Tongatapu. The center of this earthquake had a deep depth of 494 km.
| Date and Time: | Jun 17, 2024 02:48AM (Tongatapu Time) - Jun 16, 2024 13:48 Universal Time. |
|---|---|
| Location: | 263 km WNW of Nuku‘alofa, Tongatapu, Tonga. Coordinates 20°17'37"S 177°34'6"W. |
| Map: |  Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps. |
| Magnitude: | MAG 5.1 Detected by 45 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.085 . |
| Depth: | 494 km (307 mi) A deep depth. |
| Tsunami Risk: | Tsunami very unlikely Earthquakes under MAG-6.5 at depths deeper than 100km are very unlikely to cause tsunami's. Always stay cautious - More info here. |
Nearby towns and cities
This earthquake may have been felt in Tonga . The closest significant population center near the earthquake is Nuku‘alofa in Tongatapu, Tonga. Nuku‘alofa is located 263 kilometer (163 mi) west-northwest of the epicenter.
Overview of nearby places
| Distance | Place |
|---|---|
| 263 km (163 mi) ESE from epicenter |
Nuku‘alofa Tongatapu, Tonga. |
Aftershocks detected
This main shock was prefaced by 1 smaller foreshock. Nearby this earthquake a foreshock struck 5 hrs earlier. It measured a magnitude of 4.4
Overview of foreshocks and aftershocks
| Classification | Magnitude | When | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| Foreshock | M 4.4 |
5 hrs earlier Jun 16, 2024 09:48PM (Tongatapu Time) | 22 km (14 mi) SSW from Main Shock. |
| Main Shock This Earthquake |
M 5.1 |
Jun 17, 2024 02:48AM (Tongatapu Time) | - |
More earthquakes coming?
The risk of aftershocks decreases rapidly over time. Usually, aftershocks are at least one order of magnitude lower than a main shock.
It's always adviced to be cautious of the risk of a larger shock following any significant earthquake, however this risk is fairly small. There is a roughly 94 percent change that no larger main shock will follow in the days following this earthquake.
Read: How to Stay Safe during an Earthquake (cdc.gov).Earthquakes like this happen often in the region
Earthquakes of this strength are very common in the region. This is the strongest earthquake to hit since June 4th, 2024, when a 5.5 magnitude earthquake hit 281 km (175 mi) further north-northwest. An even stronger magnitude 8.2 earthquake struck on August 19th, 2018.
In total, 226 earthquakes with a magnitude of 5.1 or higher have been registered within 300km (186 mi) of this epicenter in the past 10 years. This comes down to an average of once every 16 days.
Tsunami very unlikely
For a serious tsunami to occur, earthquakes usually need to have a magnitude of at least 6.5 and occur at a shallow depth of maximum 100km. Neither are the case with this earthquake. However always stay cautious and monitor advice from local authorities.
Tsunami Risk Factors
| Factor | Under Sea? | MAG-6.5 or stronger? | Shallow depth? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Explanation | Almost all tsunami's are caused by earthquakes with their epicenter under sea or very near the sea. However stay cautious in coastal areas as earthquakes on land may cause landslides into sea, potentially still causing a local tsunami. | Under MAG 6.5: Very unlikely to cause a tsunami. MAG 6.5 to 7.5: Destructive tsunami's do occur, but are uncommon. Likely to observe small sea level changes. MAG 7.6+: Earthquakes with these magnitudes might produce destructive tsunami's. |
Most destructive tsunami's are caused by shallow earthquakes with a depth between 0 and 100km under the surface of the earth. Deeper tsunami's are unlikely to displace to ocean floor. |
| This Earthquake | This earthquake appears to have struck under the sea. | Not this earthquake. This earthquake had a magnitude of 5.1. Earthquakes of this strength are unlikely to trigger a tsunami. |
Not this earthquake. This earthquake occurred at a depth of 494 km (307 mi). Earthquakes this deep in the earth are unlikely to trigger a tsunami. |
Sources
Last updated 27/06/24 14:28 (). This article is automatically generated based on available data. We keep checking multiple sources for additional information. This article gets updated as new details on this earthquake become available.
- US Geographic Society (USGS): Earthquake us7000mstd
- European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20240616_0000118
- Geonames.org: World Cities Database
- Google Maps: Static API
- Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database
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