A shallow and significant M5.1 aftershock struck in the South Pacific Ocean 85 kilometer from Nuku‘alofa, Tonga in the night of Tuesday January 27th, 2026.
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Earthquake Summary
This earthquake hit under water in the South Pacific Ocean, 72 kilometers (44 mi) off the coast of Tonga, 85 kilometer south-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: | Jan 27, 2026 02:02AM (Tongatapu Time) - Jan 26, 2026 13:02 Universal Time. |
|---|---|
| Location: | 85 km SE of Nuku‘alofa, Tongatapu, Tonga. Coordinates 21°42'8"S 174°39'5"W. |
| Map: |  Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps. |
| Magnitude: | MAG 5.1 Detected by 61 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.073 . |
| 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 . Located 85 kilometer (53 mi) south-east of the epicenter of this earthquake, Nuku‘alofa (Tongatapu, Tonga) is the nearest significant population center.
Overview of nearby places
| Distance | Place |
|---|---|
| 85 km (53 mi) NW from epicenter |
Nuku‘alofa Tongatapu, Tonga. |
This is likely an aftershock
This earthquake is likely an aftershock of the MAG-5.4 earthquake that struck 10 hrs earlier. That main earthquake hit 44 km (27 mi) southwest of the epicenter of this MAG-5.1 aftershock.
Overview of foreshocks and aftershocks
| Classification | Magnitude | When | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| Main Shock | M 5.4 |
Jan 26, 2026 04:31PM (Tongatapu Time) | - |
| Aftershock | M 5.2 |
7 hrs later Jan 26, 2026 11:52PM (Tongatapu Time) | 21 km (13 mi) NE from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock This Earthquake |
M 5.1 |
10 hrs later Jan 27, 2026 02:02AM (Tongatapu Time) | 44 km (27 mi) NE 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, 237 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 15 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 27/01/26 09:18 (). 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 us7000rs4b
- European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20260126_0000232
- Geonames.org: World Cities Database
- Google Maps: Static API
- Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database
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