In the morning of Monday March 31st, 2025, a shallow and significant M5.2 aftershock hit in the South Pacific Ocean 161 kilometer from Nuku‘alofa, Tonga.
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Earthquake Summary
This earthquake hit under water in the South Pacific Ocean, 155 kilometers (96 mi) off the coast of Tonga, 161 kilometer north-east of Nuku‘alofa in Tongatapu. The center of this earthquake had a very shallow depth of 20 km. Shallow earthquakes usually have a larger impact than earthquakes deep in the earth.
| Date and Time: | Mar 31, 2025 10:51AM (Tongatapu Time) - Mar 30, 2025 21:51 Universal Time. |
|---|---|
| Location: | 161 km NE of Nuku‘alofa, Tongatapu, Tonga. Coordinates 20°17'20"S 173°56'47"W. |
| Map: |  Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps. |
| Magnitude: | MAG 5.2 Detected by 10 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.098 . |
| Depth: | 20 km (12 mi) A very shallow depth. |
| Tsunami Risk: | Low tsunami risk Earthquakes under MAG-6.5 do not usually cause tsunami's. Always stay cautious - More info here. |
Nearby towns and cities
This earthquake may have been felt in Tonga . Located 161 kilometer (100 mi) north-east of the epicenter of this earthquake, Nuku‘alofa (Tongatapu, Tonga) is the nearest significant population center.
Overview of nearby places
| Distance | Place |
|---|---|
| 161 km (100 mi) SW from epicenter |
Nuku‘alofa Tongatapu, Tonga. |
Shaking reported by 1 person
People that feel an earthquake may report their experience to the US Geographic Survey. Currently, 1 person has reported shaking in one place in Tonga.We keep updating this article as more ground reports become available. You may report that you felt this earthquake here.
Places with most reports:
- Nukuʿalofa, Tongatapu, Tonga: 1 person.
This is likely an aftershock
Approximately 10 hrs before this earthquake hit, a larger 7 magnitude earthquake struck 14 km (9 mi) west of this one. For that reason, we classify the Mag. 5.2 earthquake as an aftershock.
Overview of foreshocks and aftershocks
| Classification | Magnitude | When | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| Foreshock | M 4.7 |
2 days earlier Mar 29, 2025 02:24AM (Tongatapu Time) | 23 km (14 mi) SSE from Main Shock. |
| Main Shock | M 7.0 |
Mar 31, 2025 01:18AM (Tongatapu Time) | - |
| Aftershock | M 4.5 |
36 mins later Mar 31, 2025 01:54AM (Tongatapu Time) | 39 km (24 mi) E from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 4.4 |
1 hr later Mar 31, 2025 02:24AM (Tongatapu Time) | 37 km (23 mi) ESE from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 4.9 |
2 hrs later Mar 31, 2025 03:24AM (Tongatapu Time) | 25 km (16 mi) ENE from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 4.7 |
3 hrs later Mar 31, 2025 03:58AM (Tongatapu Time) | 32 km (20 mi) ENE from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 6.2 |
3 hrs later Mar 31, 2025 04:04AM (Tongatapu Time) | 11 km (7 mi) SE from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 5.0 |
3 hrs later Mar 31, 2025 04:26AM (Tongatapu Time) | 59 km (37 mi) ESE from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 4.9 |
3 hrs later Mar 31, 2025 04:26AM (Tongatapu Time) | 37 km (23 mi) E from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 5.9 |
3 hrs later Mar 31, 2025 04:33AM (Tongatapu Time) | 9 km (6 mi) N from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 4.4 |
3 hrs later Mar 31, 2025 04:42AM (Tongatapu Time) | 21 km (13 mi) NE from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 4.8 |
4 hrs later Mar 31, 2025 05:10AM (Tongatapu Time) | 28 km (17 mi) E from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 4.3 |
7 hrs later Mar 31, 2025 08:20AM (Tongatapu Time) | 71 km (44 mi) SSE from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 4.6 |
7 hrs later Mar 31, 2025 08:30AM (Tongatapu Time) | 21 km (13 mi) E from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock This Earthquake |
M 5.2 |
10 hrs later Mar 31, 2025 10:51AM (Tongatapu Time) | 14 km (9 mi) E from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 4.7 |
12 hrs later Mar 31, 2025 01:23PM (Tongatapu Time) | 40 km (25 mi) SE from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 4.3 |
13 hrs later Mar 31, 2025 02:47PM (Tongatapu Time) | 70 km (43 mi) SSE from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 4.9 |
1 day later Apr 1, 2025 02:20AM (Tongatapu Time) | 42 km (26 mi) SE from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 4.9 |
1 day later Apr 1, 2025 11:25AM (Tongatapu Time) | 60 km (38 mi) ESE from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 4.6 |
2 days later Apr 1, 2025 08:37PM (Tongatapu Time) | 27 km (17 mi) ENE from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 4.9 |
3 days later Apr 2, 2025 01:59PM (Tongatapu Time) | 38 km (24 mi) ESE from Main Shock. |
More earthquakes coming?
Aftershocks are usually at least 1 order of magnitude less strong than main shocks. The more time passes, the smaller the chance and likely strength of any potential aftershocks.
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. In total, 188 earthquakes with a magnitude of 5.2 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 19 days.
Low tsunami risk
Based on early data it appears this earthquake was not strong enough (lower than MAG-6.5) to be likely to cause destructive tsunami's. However this earthquake appeared to have hit at a shallow depth under sea, so 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 5.2. Earthquakes of this strength are unlikely to trigger a tsunami. |
This earthquake occurred at a depth of of 20 km (12 mi). Earthquakes this shallow could trigger a tsunami. |
Sources
Last updated 28/04/25 01:18 (). 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 us7000pnxn
- European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20250330_0000253
- Geonames.org: World Cities Database
- Google Maps: Static API
- Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database
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