A shallow and significant MAG-5.1 earthquake struck in the South Pacific Ocean 213 kilometer from Nuku‘alofa, Tonga in the evening of Saturday April 5th, 2025.
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Earthquake Summary
This earthquake hit under water in the South Pacific Ocean, 163 kilometers (101 mi) off the coast of Tonga, 213 kilometer north-east of Nuku‘alofa in Tongatapu. The center of this earthquake had a very shallow depth of 10 km. Shallow earthquakes usually have a larger impact than earthquakes deep in the earth.
| Date and Time: | Apr 5, 2025 10:19PM (Tongatapu Time) - Apr 5, 2025 09:19 Universal Time. |
|---|---|
| Location: | 213 km NE of Nuku‘alofa, Tongatapu, Tonga. Coordinates 20°4'6"S 173°30'15"W. |
| Map: |  Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps. |
| Magnitude: | MAG 5.1 Detected by 39 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.091 . |
| Depth: | 10 km (6 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 . The closest significant population center near the earthquake is Nuku‘alofa in Tongatapu, Tonga. Nuku‘alofa is located 213 kilometer (132 mi) north-east of the epicenter.
Overview of nearby places
| Distance | Place |
|---|---|
| 213 km (132 mi) SW from epicenter |
Nuku‘alofa Tongatapu, Tonga. |
Aftershocks detected
Before this earthquake struck, 1 smaller foreshock occurred. A 4.5 magnitude earthquake hit 5 hrs earlier nearby.
Overview of foreshocks and aftershocks
| Classification | Magnitude | When | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| Foreshock | M 4.5 |
5 hrs earlier Apr 5, 2025 05:19PM (Tongatapu Time) | 63 km (39 mi) S from Main Shock. |
| Main Shock This Earthquake |
M 5.1 |
Apr 5, 2025 10:19PM (Tongatapu Time) | - |
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.
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 March 30th, 2025, when a 5.2 magnitude earthquake hit 52 km (32 mi) further west-southwest. An even stronger magnitude 7.3 earthquake struck on November 11th, 2022.
In total, 235 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.
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 5.1. Earthquakes of this strength are unlikely to trigger a tsunami. |
This earthquake occurred at a depth of of 10 km (6 mi). Earthquakes this shallow could trigger a tsunami. |
Sources
Last updated 27/04/25 11:28 (). This article contains currently available information about the earthquake and is automatically composed. We continue to update this article up to a few days after the earthquake occurred.
- US Geographic Society (USGS): Earthquake us6000q47z
- European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20250405_0000104
- Geonames.org: World Cities Database
- Google Maps: Static API
- Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database
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