In the South Pacific Ocean 160 kilometer from Nuku‘alofa, Tonga, a significant M5.2 aftershock occurred in the early morning of Saturday May 31st, 2025.
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Earthquake Summary
This earthquake hit under water in the South Pacific Ocean, 154 kilometers (96 mi) off the coast of Tonga, 160 kilometer southwest of Nuku‘alofa in Tongatapu. The center of this earthquake had an intermediate depth of 94 km.
| Date and Time: | May 31, 2025 05:45AM (Tongatapu Time) - May 30, 2025 16:45 Universal Time. |
|---|---|
| Location: | 160 km SW of Nuku‘alofa, Tongatapu, Tonga. Coordinates 22°10'56"S 176°16'13"W. |
| Map: |  Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps. |
| Magnitude: | MAG 5.2 Detected by 89 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.061 . |
| Depth: | 94 km (59 mi) An intermediate 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 160 kilometer (99 mi) southwest of the epicenter of this earthquake, Nuku‘alofa (Tongatapu, Tonga) is the nearest significant population center.
Overview of nearby places
| Distance | Place |
|---|---|
| 160 km (99 mi) NE from epicenter |
Nuku‘alofa Tongatapu, Tonga. |
This is likely an aftershock
This earthquake was an aftershock. A larger mag. 5.2 earthquake struck 42 km (26 mi) east-southeast in advance of this 5.2 earthquake around 3 sec earlier.
Overview of foreshocks and aftershocks
| Classification | Magnitude | When | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| Main Shock | M 5.2 |
May 31, 2025 05:45AM (Tongatapu Time) | - |
| Aftershock This Earthquake |
M 5.2 |
3 sec later May 31, 2025 05:45AM (Tongatapu Time) | 42 km (26 mi) WNW 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, 186 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 20 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 94 km (59 mi). Earthquakes this shallow could trigger a tsunami. |
Sources
Last updated 17/06/25 17:58 (). 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 us6000qgxv
- Geonames.org: World Cities Database
- Google Maps: Static API
- Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database
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