On Sunday Morning a Shallow M5.8 Earthquake struck in the South Pacific Ocean 112km from Nuku‘alofa (Tonga).

Written by Earthquakelist.org on January 31st, 2026. Last updated February 15th, 2026.

In the morning of Sunday February 1st, 2026, a shallow and significant M5.8 earthquake hit in the South Pacific Ocean 112 kilometer from Nuku‘alofa, Tonga. Around 90 thousand people have been exposed to shaking.

Earthquake Summary

This earthquake hit under water in the South Pacific Ocean, 103 kilometers (64 mi) off the coast of Tonga, 112 kilometer east of Nuku‘alofa in Tongatapu. The center of this earthquake had a very shallow depth of 12 km. Shallow earthquakes usually have a larger impact than earthquakes deep in the earth.

Date and Time:	Feb 1, 2026 09:59AM (Tongatapu Time) - Jan 31, 2026 20:59 Universal Time.
Location:	112 km east of Nuku‘alofa, Tongatapu, Tonga. Coordinates 21°1'8"S 174°8'1"W.
Map:	Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps.
Magnitude:	MAG 5.8 Detected by 24 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.063 .
Depth:	12 km (7 mi) A very shallow depth.
Max. Intensity:	IV Light On the Modified Mercalli Scale.
Tsunami Risk:	Low tsunami risk Earthquakes under MAG-6.5 do not usually 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.

Roughly 90 thousand people exposed to shaking

The USGS has published a report estimating the number of people exposed to this earthquake. Acoording to their analysis, roughly 90 thousand have been exposed to shaking at an MMI level of II or higher.

An estimated 59,870 people were exposed to level IV. At this level, light shaking and likely no damage can be expected. All exposure to shaking was within the borders of Tonga .

People	MMI Level	Shaking	Damage
0	I	Not noticable	None
0	II	Very weak	None
30,280	III	Weak	Probably none
59,870	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 . Located 112 kilometer (70 mi) east of the epicenter of this earthquake, Nuku‘alofa (Tongatapu, Tonga) is the nearest significant population center. The intensity of shaking and damage in Nuku‘alofa is estimated to be around level IV on the Modified Mercalli Intensity scale (light shaking, likely no damage).

Overview of nearby places

Cities and Towns around the epicenter of this earthquake.
Distance	Place	Intensity (MMI)
112 km (70 mi) W from epicenter	Nuku‘alofa Tongatapu, Tonga.	IV Light

Earthquake Intensity Map

The intensity in shaking and damage by this earthquake is illustrated through the map below. The highest intensity measured for this earthquake is IV.

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.

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.

Aftershocks detected

After this earthquake struck, 1 smaller aftershock occurred. At a distance of 20 km (12 mi) east-southeast of this earthquake, an aftershock struck 14 hrs later. It measured a magnitude of 4.9

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 5.8	Feb 1, 2026 09:59AM (Tongatapu Time)	-
Aftershock	M 4.9	14 hrs later Feb 1, 2026 11:49PM (Tongatapu Time)	20 km (12 mi) ESE 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.

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 May 25th, 2025, when a 6 magnitude earthquake hit 265 km (165 mi) further southwest. An even stronger magnitude 7.3 earthquake struck on November 11th, 2022.

In total, 40 earthquakes with a magnitude of 5.8 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 3 months.

Low tsunami risk

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.

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 5.8. Earthquakes of this strength are unlikely to trigger a tsunami.	This earthquake occurred at a depth of of 12 km (7 mi). Earthquakes this shallow could trigger a tsunami.

Sources

Last updated 15/02/26 22:08 (). 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.