On Sunday Morning a Significant M5.5 Earthquake struck in the South Pacific Ocean 291km from Nuku‘alofa (Tonga).

Written by Earthquakelist.org on December 28th, 2024. Last updated January 1st, 2025.

In the morning of Sunday December 29th, 2024, a significant Magnitude 5.5 earthquake hit in the South Pacific Ocean 291 kilometer from Nuku‘alofa, Tonga. Such earthquakes in regions like this usually have a minimal impact on people and the economy.

Earthquake Summary

This earthquake hit under water in the South Pacific Ocean, 292 kilometers (181 mi) off the coast of Tonga, 291 kilometer west-northwest of Nuku‘alofa in Tongatapu. The center of this earthquake had a very deep depth of 551 km. Deep earthquakes usually have less impact than shallower earthquakes of similar strenght.

Date and Time:	Dec 29, 2024 08:57AM (Tongatapu Time) - Dec 28, 2024 19:57 Universal Time.
Location:	291 km WNW of Nuku‘alofa, Tongatapu, Tonga. Coordinates 20°27'46"S 177°54'27"W.
Map:	Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps.
Magnitude:	MAG 5.5 Detected by 15 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.08 .
Depth:	551 km (342 mi) A very deep depth.
Max. Intensity:	II Weak On the Modified Mercalli Scale.
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.

Minimal impact predicted

Based on scientific estimates by the US Geographic Survey (USGS), the risk of high fatalities for this earthquake is classified at level GREEN (low). They expect an 65% likelyhood of between 0 and 1 fatalities, and a 96% chance that the number of fatalities falls no higher than 10.

The USGS classifies the economic impact of this earthquake at level GREEN (low). They expect an 65% likelyhood of between 0 and 1 million US Dollars in economic damage and impact, and a 96% chance that the economic impact of this earthquake falls no higher than 10 million USD.

Not many people felt this earthquake

An estimated 10 have been exposed to shaking (An MMI or Modified Mercalli Intensity level II or higher) as a result of this earthquake according scientific estimates published by the USGS.

An estimated 10 people were exposed to level II. At this level, very weak shaking and no damage can be expected. The majority of people (roughly 2 thousand) live in an area exposed to level I, where not noticeable and no damage is expected. All exposure to shaking was within the borders of Fiji .

People	MMI Level	Shaking	Damage
2,350	I	Not noticable	None
10	II	Very weak	None
0	III	Weak	Probably none
0	IV	Light	Likely none
0	V	Moderate	Very light
0	VI	Strong	Light
0	VII	Very Strong	Moderate
0	VIII	Severe	Moderate to heavy
0	IX	Violent	Heavy
0	X	Extreme	Very heavy

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 291 kilometer (181 mi) west-northwest of the epicenter.

Overview of nearby places

Cities and Towns around the epicenter of this earthquake.
Distance	Place
291 km (181 mi) ESE from epicenter	Nuku‘alofa Tongatapu, Tonga.

Earthquake Intensity Map

The graph below overlays a map of the region around the epicenter with earthquake intensity data provided by the US Geographic Survey. The highest intensity level detected for this earthquake is II.

I Not felt

II Weak

III Weak

IV Light

V Moderate

VI Strong

VII Very Strong

VIII Severe

IX Violent

X Extreme

Earthquake Intensity Map based on Shakemap Data provided by USGS.

Aftershocks detected

After this earthquake struck, 1 smaller aftershock occurred. Just 3 days after this main shock, an earthquake measuring MAG-4.1 was detected 40 km (25 mi) west-northwest of this earthquake.

Overview of foreshocks and aftershocks

Detected MAG2.5+ earthquakes within within 100km (62 mi), that occurred in the three days before and after the main shock.
Classification	Magnitude	When	Where
Main Shock This Earthquake	M 5.5	Dec 29, 2024 08:57AM (Tongatapu Time)	-
Aftershock	M 4.1	3 days later Dec 31, 2024 10:36PM (Tongatapu Time)	40 km (25 mi) WNW from Main Shock.

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.

In only six percent of cases, significant earthquakes are followed by a larger main shock, making the current earthquake a foreshock. While the chance of this happening is not so large, it is adviced to maintain cautiousness in the hours and days following a major 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 December 25th, 2024, when a 5.6 magnitude earthquake hit 153 km (95 mi) further north-northeast. An even stronger magnitude 8.2 earthquake struck on August 19th, 2018.

In total, 127 earthquakes with a magnitude of 5.5 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 29 days.

Tsunami very unlikely

DISCLAIMER: We strongly suggest to closely monitor advice from local authorities with regards to tsunami risks. Our analysis is based on automatically collected data from external sources, and these might contain mistakes. In addition, earthquakes can cause landslides that may lead to a tsunami, or be a followed by another, potentially stonger, earthquake.

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 5.5. Earthquakes of this strength are unlikely to trigger a tsunami.	Not this earthquake. This earthquake occurred at a depth of 551 km (342 mi). Earthquakes this deep in the earth are unlikely to trigger a tsunami.

Sources

Last updated 01/01/25 19:08 (). As more information on this earthquake becomes available this article will be updated. This article is automatically composed based on data originating from multiple sources.